The Leavenworth Local Hotel is starting a new chapter and keeping it local.

Lt. Col. Reynaldo Riviera, a recently retired veteran of the United States Army who has been stationed at Fort Leavenworth during his career, is taking on the Leavenworth Local Hotel in 2025. Riviera said he saw an opportunity to invest in the new community by operating a number of single-family rentals for service members.

“I’m from a small town, and I’ve felt right at home here,” he said. “My tenants and the city of Leavenworth have been good to me, so I wanted to continue to invest in the area.”

Riviera is seeking new ways to contribute to a growing Leavenworth and says taking on the operations of the Leavenworth Local Hotel was the perfect fit. Current hotel owners, Ilan Salzberg and Caleb Buland, are thrilled to hand the reins over to a true local. “The town of Leavenworth has welcomed our team and our hotel, and we look forward to Rey deepening the Local’s roots in the community,” said Salzberg.

Salzberg credits Andrea Wardell, a Kansas City broker with ties to Leavenworth and the owner of Wardell & Holmes Real Estate, for connecting him with Rivera and his broker, Marcy McMahan.

“Andrea’s tenacity is a thing to behold, and she brought us the ideal operator in Rey. I believe we assembled the perfect team to take The Local to the next level of what it can be,” he said.

The hotel, located in the former Immaculata High School, completed renovations and began operating as a hotel in 2021. The hotel has been voted Leavenworth’s Best of the Best in the hotel category three years in a row. Rivera says he will continue to maintain the hotel’s high standards while adding new levels of service and extended stay options.

Rivera has also identified growth potential in the currently underutilized gymnasium and auditorium spaces and sees an opportunity to bring the community downtown for celebrations. He plans to offer roller skating events and add bounce houses to the property for youth birthday events.

 

 

 

source: https://www.leavenworthtimes.com/new-owner-takes-over-at-downtown-hotel/