Hotel to offer views, contribute to community

No one has ever seen downtown Holland like this.

Views from the fifth floor of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel will give guests a look at the city’s landscape of brick buildings and trees, mostly unobstructed by other buildings.

Rooms in the five-story, 140-room hotel face north, south, east and west for sunrise, sunset and city views. Balconies are included on 104 rooms.

“I am excited for the balconies that face Eighth Street,” said Bob Flavin, communications director at Suburban Inns, the local hotel management company that owns the new downtown hotel. “They are going to provide some of the best Tulip Time Parade views in Holland.”

It will be the first nationally branded hotel in downtown Holland, and it’s on track to open in November.

Progress

Construction began in August 2014, and is about 75 percent complete, said Lucas Ulberg, property development manager at Suburban Inns.

“Construction is going very well,” he said. “It is exciting to have the project coming into the finishing stages. It is always very rewarding to see a vision, concept, plan or document come to life before your own eyes. All trades have done a great job continuing to stay focused and maintaining the overall workmanship that Suburban Inns demands.”

Crews are working their way up from the second floor where they are painting, laying flooring and carpet, and putting up wall coverings. Walking up to the third, fourth and fifth floors — elevators aren't installed yet — reveals less and less finished areas. The fifth floor consists of pipes, metal and wires.

Down on the main floor, a radius wall was recently put up at the main entrance to the lobby, which faces Seventh Street and what will be a 100-spot parking lot. The main floor includes the lobby, a conference room, a fitness room, two sets of restrooms, offices, the fitness room, an indoor pool, Big E’s Sports Grill and the Courtyard by Marriott bistro.

Big E’s will be larger than the bistro. A large, ovular bar is being built in the middle, and holes are cut in the west wall for garage doors that will open up to patio seating. The restaurant will have its own Eighth Street entrance.

“We’re excited to have one of the only sports bars in downtown Holland,” said Grant Hirst, hotel general manager.

Contributing to downtown

The hotel will more than double the number of rooms available downtown from 106 to 246, said Sally Laukitis, Holland Visitors Bureau executive director.

Over the course of July, the two current downtown hotels had 90 percent occupancy rates, she added. The hotels were referring people to lodging as far away as Lansing.

“We really welcome the additional rooms,” Laukitis said. “It’s just one more piece of the tourism puzzle for downtown Holland.”

Courtyard by Marriott will join two independent hotels in downtown, which is a good mix, she added.

“We've put a lot into the community we're proud to be part of and it's exciting that this hotel will add to the aesthetic of our attractive downtown," said Peter Beukema, Suburban Inns COO. "I'm also eager to see the hotel add to the vibe with business, tourists and other visitors staying right downtown.”

The hotel will add 40,000-50,000 room nights to downtown, depending on occupancy.

Every time a guest stays in a hotel in the city of Holland, they pay a 5 percent room assessment that goes to the Holland Visitors Bureau to help market the area as an overnight destination.

The additional revenue from the 140 rooms will help bring more tourists to the area through enhanced TV commercials, full-page print ads and billboards, Laukitis said.

The visitors bureau’s budget is currently about $1.5 million, which comes from room assessments in the city of Holland, and Holland, Park and Hudsonville townships. There are 1,525 rooms the bureau assesses, and that will jump to 1,665.

“We’re really looking forward to the Courtyard by Marriott, and the role they’ll play in downtown Holland for both leisure and business travelers,” said Jane Clark, West Coast Chamber of Commerce president. “It will offer a great option in the heart of our community for people who will spend time at restaurants and shops, and enjoy our other amenities.”

A benefit to the community at large could be attracting people to move to Holland, said Jennifer Owens, Lakeshore Advantage president.

About 76 percent of area businesses reported facing challenges with talent recruitment in 2014, according to the 2015 Business Intelligence Report.

“Many people decide to move to an area based on a visit or a business experience,” Owens said. “This hotel is an investment that will ensure a very high-quality experience for those who visit our community.”

Recruitment

Before the hotel can open, it will face the same hiring challenges that other area businesses are contending with. 

The goal is to hire about 200 people to cover all positions, Hirst said. The jobs will be part time and full time, ranging from housekeeping to wait staff to front desk to maintenance and more. 

“We will want to staff up for opening initially — we’ll need all the hands we can get,” he said.

Once operations settle in, about 125 employees will be needed to staff the hotel and both restaurants, Hirst said.

Suburban Inns will hold a job fair from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. from Sept. 14-16 at its Holiday Inn Express of Holland. A second fair will be hosted by Latin Americans United for Progress on Sept. 17. A third fair will be hosted by Michigan Works!, but a date hasn’t been set.

“Everyone around Suburban Inns is very excited and looking forward to opening this great property,” Flavin said.”To see the hotel go from vision to a complete hotel is always an exciting thing to be apart of.”

— Follow this reporter on Twitter @SentinelJustine.