Transformation Underway with New Trio of Hotels on Single Downtown Block

Holiday Inn Express, Home2 by Hilton and Tru by Hilton Hotels. Rendering by Base4.

MILWAUKEE – This month Iowa-based Hawkeye Hotels and Minnesota-based JR Hospitality will break ground on three new hotels within one block of downtown Milwaukee. These are the first Milwaukee properties for Hawkeye Hotels.

Together, the companies are constructing two buildings that will house three hotels. One building will contain both the Home2 Suites (115 guest rooms) and Tru (100 guest rooms), both Hilton lines, while the other is a Holiday Inn Express (116 guest rooms), an IHG hotel. Each of these brands is a first for downtown Milwaukee.

“It is an honor to bring these three rapidly growing brands with IHG and Hilton to downtown Milwaukee,” said Jay Bhakta, Managing Partner at JR Hospitality. “Guests will appreciate the proximity of these hotels to a number of major developments and The Hop streetcar system. Overall, this development will help accommodate the millions of tourists and business travelers that visit Milwaukee annually.”

Both buildings will be located on the west side of North Jefferson Street between East Michigan and East Clybourn streets. This location is just a few steps from a pedestrian tunnel that leads to the Historic Third Ward, a mixed-use neighborhood with hundreds of businesses, plus art galleries, specialty stores, restaurants, industrial space and more.

“We are thrilled to have found an outstanding location that provides guests a quick, convenient way to reach the Historic Third Ward neighborhood,” said Jay Patel, Development Manager at Hawkeye Hotels. “These hotels will allow more visitors to take advantage of the many artistic and cultural attractions, in addition to the shopping and dining, available in the Third Ward.”

Amenities at the Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton include a shared fitness center and indoor pool. The Holiday Inn Express will include a fitness center open 24 hours per day, seven days per week and a business center.

One of the top manufacturing centers in the nation, Milwaukee also has a strong commercial and industrial core. Six Fortune 500 companies call Milwaukee home, as do many diversified services companies.

Founded in 1982 with one roadside hotel in Mena, Arkansas, Hawkeye Hotels has become one of the fastest-growing family-owned hospitality companies in the United States. Today, the firm owns and operates over 50 hotels across the country. Hawkeye Hotels employs over 1,500 staff across its portfolio of hotels and corporate offices. The firm maintains lasting affiliations with leading brands, including Marriott, Hilton, InterContinental and Starwood.

JR Hospitality is a third generation hotel company with one of the fastest growing hotel portfolios in the Midwest that specializes in acquiring, developing and operating premier hotel assets.

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NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.