Suburban Inns announced this week it plans to move ahead with construction of a 270-suite
Embassy Suites hotel in Grand Rapids' Monroe North business district. The announcement comes six years after the company's purchase of the former Western American Mailers plant at Newberry St. and N. Monroe Avenue.
The housing market crash derailed initial plans for the $34 million project, originally slated for construction in 2009. The hotel will include space for first-floor retail shops and could bring some 300 jobs to the region.
"We really feel that a lot of the medical and educational institutes are in that general area, and it's as close to the hospitals and to DeVos Place as we can get and still purchase land at a rate where we can afford to offer reasonable rates to guests," says Suburban Inns COO Peter R. Beukema. "We hope the hotel will start to really assist the growth in the North Monroe district. Hopefully the hotel will help Grand Rapids be more attractive to a lot of the larger conventions, and that puts more heads in beds and more staff to work."
Preliminary plans include a possible 11-story structure, room layouts that consist of Embassy Suites' three-room suites, indoor parking, and shuttle service to anywhere in Grand Rapids.
Construction begins this summer, with a grand opening planned for fall 2014.
Suburban Inns owns and operates Holiday Inn Express of Grand Rapids Southwest/Grandville, Holiday Inn Express of Holland, Hampton Inn and Sharkee’s Bar and Grill in Holland, Holiday Inn of Midland, and Big E’s Sports Grill.
Source: Peter R. Beukema, Suburban Inns
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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