A Spring 2014 Opening is Planned
June 12–Guests soon will have another place to lay their heads in St. Joseph. Holiday Inn Express & Suites broke ground on a new, 97-room hotel on Wednesday.
The construction site is located across the street from Candlewood Suites, 3505 N. Village Drive, and adjacent to The Shoppes at North Village. Both hotels are owned by Spike Ehrhardt and his sons, Stan and Scott. Their firm operates multiple hotel brands in three states.
“There is a lot of industry here,” Spike Ehrhardt said.
A month after opening Candlewood in June 2012, Mr. Ehrhardt said business spiked, bringing in many different walks of life. “You get a cross section of people,” he said. “The St. Joseph city and surrounding areas is a great market.”
While Candlewood Suites, with 80 rooms, caters to the long-term guest with its full kitchen, the Holiday Inn will go after families and vacationers with different amenities, including an indoor pool, a great room and continental breakfast.
“I think they will complement each other really well,” Mr. Earhardt said.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites is the same franchise as the Holiday Inn St. Joseph Riverfront, but with different ownership under the IHG brand. There still is room for development in the area around both hotels. Mr. Earhardt likens the progression to that of the Belt Highway. “Each time one comes, it brings more people,” he said.
He also believes the YMCA project will be beneficial. “That will bring out families, who will get the exposure (to the hotels),” he said. “People coming in might have a need for a hotel room and they’re going to remember this location.”
The new Holiday Inn should be open by April or May 2014.
Jennifer Hall can be reached at jenn.hall@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPHall.
