Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Three new, adjacent hotels open downtown

- Tom Daykin

Three new hotels, totaling more than 300 rooms, are now open in downtown Milwaukee, it was announced Tuesday.

The hotels, each bringing a new brand to downtown, are in two six-story adjoining buildings at 515-525 N. Jefferson St.

One building has two brands: a 115room Home2 Suites by Hilton and a 100room Tru by Hilton. The other building is a 116-room Holiday Inn Express.

The hotels, with more than 100 fulltime employees, are operated by Coralville, Iowa-based Hawkeye Hotels and its partner, Bloomingto­n, Minnesotab­ased JR Hospitalit­y Group LLC.

“Although the market has slowed down in recent times due to Covid, we are extremely optimistic that downtown Milwaukee will continue to grow in the years to come,” said Jay Patel, Hawkeye Hotels developmen­t manager, in statement.

Operating multiple brands allows the hotels to meet different needs, said Jay Bhakta, JR Hospitalit­y managing partner.

Home2 Suites is an extended stay property with kitchenett­es catering to long-term guests, while the Tru and Holiday Inn Express brands target guests seeking shorter stays, Bhakta said.

The hotels include an indoor pool, fitness center and business center in each building.

Hotels nationwide, including those in the Milwaukee area, have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through September, the 2020 occupancy rate of Milwaukee area hotels was 37.8%, according to STR Inc., a Hendersonv­ille, Tennessee-based hotel industry data provider.

That compares with a 67.6% rate from the same period in 2019.

The average daily rate for Milwaukee-area hotels was $89 for the first nine months of this year. That compares with $116 from the year-earlier period, according to STR.

 ?? MIKE DE SISTI / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL ?? Three hotels in adjacent buildings at 515-525 N. Jefferson St., shown under constructi­on in October, are now open. One building has two brands: a 1 15-room Home2 Suites by Hilton and a 100-room Tru by Hilton. The other building is a 116-room Holiday Inn Express
MIKE DE SISTI / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL Three hotels in adjacent buildings at 515-525 N. Jefferson St., shown under constructi­on in October, are now open. One building has two brands: a 1 15-room Home2 Suites by Hilton and a 100-room Tru by Hilton. The other building is a 116-room Holiday Inn Express

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