Feb. 05–BELLEVILLE — Leaders of a company that propose to build a high end hotel and four upscale restaurants in Belleville have a long history of similar developments in the central Illinois.

Chuck and Chane Keller, operators of Keller Enterprises of Effingham along with Centralia banker and public financing expert Forrest Langenfelder, hope to open a six-story Hyatt Place hotel on property owned by the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. Among the planned restaurants is a Hofbrauhaus brewpub and eatery.

Chane Keller said an announcement with more details about the project is planned for Monday at the Shrine.

According to Norma Lansing, president of the Effingham Chamber of Commerce, Keller Enterprises owns and operates hotel franchises in several states. It also owns and operates the Keller Convention Center in Effingham as well as several hotels and restaurants nearby.

“The things they’ve done in this area have been very nice,” Lansing said.

Lansing said the convention center in Effingham is a popular attraction for area businesses. On Wednesday it played host to a seminar that drew about 600 people.

The hotel would have 130 rooms. Hyatt has more than 175 locations in the United States. The nearest one is currently in Chesterfield, Mo. According to its website, a room for Thursday night was going for $119.

The original Hofbrauhaus was opened more than 400 years ago in Munich, Germany, and is, perhaps, the most famous beer hall in the world.

There are currently eight Hofbrauhaus affiliated restaurants and breweries in the United States, according to the company’s website. The nearest one is in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont. Others are in Newport, Ky., near Cincinnati; in Cleveland and Columbus in Ohio; Miami Beach and Panama City Beach in Florida; Pittsburgh; and Las Vegas.

Featured dishes include traditional German sausages, Bavarian snacks which include freshly baked pretzels as well as burgers, sandwiches and soups.

Is it unusual to have a brewery at a religious site like the shrine?

Apparently not. The Hofbrauhaus traces its roots to September 1589 when the Duke of Bavaria lured the brewmaster away from the Geisenfeld Monastery to oversee the construction of his planned new brewery and to serve as its first master brewer.

Contact reporter Scott Wuerz at swuerz@bnd.com or 618-239-2626. Follow him on Twitter: @scottwuerzBND.