Suitors courting Cedar Rapids for Crowne Plaza Hotel

City leaders say suitors are on the phone with City Hall, wanting to talk about getting their mitts on the soon-to-be-city-owned Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel,

People are calling, saying they want to renovate the hotel, put their name on it, operate it and/or own it, said Mayor Ron Corbett.

Corbett suggested that the long-struggling hotel is drawing interest now because the city last month agreed to buy it for $3.2 million from its creditors with a plan to spend $20 million to $25 million to renovate it.

The previous ownership arrangement, the mayor noted, was a complicated one in which a potential buyer had to take into account that the city owned the land under the hotel, parking ramp and revenue-producing ballroom next to the hotel. Now the city will own it all, which the mayor said will simplify any sale discussions.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said the city also is getting calls from developers who want to build other “hotels” in the downtown area.