A New 60-Room Hotel On The Lake Ozark Strip? Developer Shares Grand Plans

LAKE OZARK, Mo. — A 60-room hotel on the Lake Ozark Strip is part of a developer's plan to bring much-needed lodging and unique entertainment offerings to the Strip.

A site plan submitted to the Lake Ozark Planning & Zoning Commission by Robert Dullard reveals the hotel would be located behind Donut Palace, next door to the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District station. Dullard was a general contractor in the Chicago area for years and has investment properties around the Lake area.

"We spend a lot of time at the Lake," he told LakeExpo, adding, "We've been working on that site for a long time." He added that Ramboldt Excavation has been working to excavate and prepare the site for building.

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Dullard revealed he recently bought JJ Twigg's restaurant (the impetus behind the major facelift the building received this off-season), and he is the developer/owner of the Donut Palace on the Strip.

While it's too early for renderings, Dullard said the plans for the five-story hotel would place the top floor at the street level, with the lower levels on the back, downhill side. Street-side, the business would not only operate as a hotel, but will also offer curated outdoor adventures. Visitors to the Strip will be able to select from various outdoor/offroad adventures and ride in a shuttle from there to a large property Dullard owns where he will be designing the outdoor experiences. He said those could range from offroad vehicle rides to ropes courses.

He's eager about the opportunity to provide year-round employment for employees too (with benefits, he added). "So if one place isn't busy, they could work at the other place," he said, noting the infamous, seasonally fluctuating economy at the Lake.

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"This is just trying to keep the Strip and that area viable. And to do that, you have to have hotels and entertainment," he said. "When they have the car shows and stuff on the Strip, we want to have a nice place with services for them." Dullard even envisions a trolley service and other amenities to serve visitors on the Strip.

He clarified he is not affiliated with other potential developments in the area — such as Reese Development or the local investors seeking to build a casino.

Dullard has told the city he hopes to be open in about 18 months, but he acknowledged that is a soft deadline. Meanwhile, city staff have been working with Dullard to help see the project come to fruition.

"It’s definitely something we're excited about," said City Administrator Harrison Fry.