UNT terminates lease agreement with Radisson Hotel

by Michael Hernandez of North Texas Daily

Terminating the lease agreement gives UNT control of the property and the hotel.

NT has checked out of its lease agreement with the Radisson Hotel.

The NT Board of Regents voted Thursday to end the agreement with the hotel.

Terminating the lease agreement gives NT control of the property and the hotel, said Buddy Price, NT spokesman. NT gains control of the hotel because it is a fixture of the property and can't be separated, he said.

NT has owned the land since 1948, and Denton Hotel Associates, the owner and operator of the Radisson, leases the property.

Seven of the nine regents approved terminating the lease with the hotel at 2211 Interstate 35 E.

Charles Mitchell and Don Buchholz were absent from the specially called teleconference meeting.

"Assuming control of the property…will ensure that its future use is complementary to the university's future plans," Price said.

NT officials are staying mum on future development for the land, however.

Price said he could not speculate if there are any plans for the land in the immediate future or not.

NT President Gretchen Bataille said she could not give specific details, but any plans will be go hand-in-hand with projects to develop the athletic facilities and the Murchison Performing Arts Center, as reported in a March 28 Denton Record-Chronicle article.

"The proximity of the hotel to university facilities such as the athletic facilities make quality control of the property imperative," Price said.

The hotel will continue to operate but not under the Radisson brand, Price said. NT has not chosen a new hotel operator, he said.

The agreement with Denton Hotel Associates was amended in 2003, he said, when NT took back the Eagle Point Golf Course.

After acquiring the golf course, NT built the Athletic Center, Victory Hall and practice fields on the property.

"Its location is a signature piece of property because it sits at the apex of I-35E and I-35W, and it makes a visual gateway to the university," he said.

Karen Dickson, vice president of economic development for the Denton Chamber of Commerce, said she hopes NT will consider bringing a full service hotel to accommodate large conferences to the property.

"UNT does things on a first-rate scale," she said. "Whatever they do with this property, it'll be a very positive thing for the community."