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SLCo Exits Convention Hotel Talks with Omni

Brian Grimmett
Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams says the county is pulling out of negotiations with Omni Hotels & Resorts for a new convention center hotel after a year and a half of talks. Mayor McAdams says the company was asking for too much money in the form of public grants and cash advances.

“And so we’ve decided to terminate our negotiations to Omni and go back out to the market and look for another hotel developer who can work with us as a true partner to get this done.”

McAdams says it’s best to avoid signing a deal that would be bad for taxpayers. He says a new hotel is vital to attract and retain conventions like the massive Outdoor Retailers Convention.

“The Outdoor Retailers is a classic example that brings immense economic benefits to the people of the Salt Lake Valley,” says McAdams.

The OR’s commitment to Utah ends next year. McAdams says the county hopes to have a new hotel proposal ready to go within 30 days.  

Bob Nelson is a graduate of the University of Utah with a BA in mass communications. He began his radio career at KUER in 1978 when it was still in Kingsbury Hall. That’s also where he met his wife, Maria Shilaos, in 1981. Bob left KUER for commercial radio where he worked for 25 years, and he is thrilled to be back at KUER. Bob and his family are part of an explorer group, fondly known as The Hordes and Masses, which has been seeking out ghost towns and little-known places in Utah for more than twenty years.
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