Developers, investors, city and county officials, local business leaders and residents gathered in downtown Owensboro, Ky. to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Holiday Inn Owensboro Riverfront Hotel.
To be built next to the new Owensboro Convention Center is the 123-room Holiday Inn, which will include suites and mini-suites. With the 150-room Hampton Inn already under construction, the convention center will have two hotels on either side.
“The more hotels we have downtown, the more groups we can accommodate that need 200 to 300 hotel rooms nearby, so we are excited about having an additional hotel as our neighbor,” said Dean Dennis, general manager, Owensboro Convention Center.
Scheduled to open in January 2014 is the Global Spectrum-managed Owensboro Convention Center. The multi-purpose facility will feature a 45,000 square-feet exhibit hall and 47,000-plus square feet of meeting and banquet space, which includes two ballrooms. Planners are hoping that the Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn will help make downtown Owensboro and the Owensboro Convention Center appealing places to visit and meet.
Developed by LinGate Hospitality, a hotel development, ownership and management company, along with Riverfront JAM, LLC, which offers real estate development and construction services, the Holiday Inn is estimated to bring about 50 jobs, not including construction, to the area. The five-story hotel is expected to be completed in the fall of 2014.
“We are committed to creating a first-class hotel and riverfront experience for our community and travelers to the area,” said Glenn Higdon, CEO, LinGate Hospitality.
All of the hotel’s river facing rooms will include balconies with sweeping views of the Ohio River. Other amenities include free high-speed Internet; Holiday Inn’s Signature Kids Stay and Eat Free Program; an indoor pool and Riverview Fitness Center; an on-site restaurant and bar; a business center; and more. The hotel will also be surrounded by beautifully designed landscape with patios, fire pits and walkways.
