Why spend $500K to study whether building a convention hotel is a good idea? It’s not

The Kansas City City Council will vote today on whether to spend half-a-million dollars to study whether building a downtown convention hotel is a good idea. $500,000? In cash-strapped, layoff having, bad, bad, bad economic times?

Tell you what. Save the $500K. I know somebody who can tell you right now — for free — that the idea sucks.

The Pitch‘s David Martin has repeatedly reported (see here and here) that it’s a bad idea. As he points out, the game of attracting conventioneers never ends. At a time when the city’s already in money-losing deals, it would be wise to remember Martin’s warning that chasing convention dollars is a fool’s game.

This latest study looks like throwing more dollars — and lots of them — down the rabbit hole.