Bettendorf is getting another new hotel that its developers are calling a “beacon of hospitality.” A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday morning, Oct. 18, for the future Courtyard by Marriott Bettendorf Quad Cities at 907 Utica Ridge Place. That’s part of the site of the former Jumer’s Castle Lodge, known in its last years as […]
Bettendorf is getting another new hotel that its developers are calling a “beacon of hospitality.”A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday morning, Oct. 18, for the future Courtyard by Marriott Bettendorf Quad Cities at 907 Utica Ridge Place. That’s part of the site of the former Jumer’s Castle Lodge, known in its last years as The Lodge, which was demolished in 2016.The new 113-room Marriott, located next to Home2 Suites by Hilton, is a $22 million project. The new hotel will be four stories high and employ 30 permanent employees when it opens at the end of 2023, according to Dan Huber, CEO of the Bettendorf-based Frontier Hospitality Group, owner of the new hotel.“It will be a beacon to the business traveler. … It’s going to a beacon of hospitality,” Mr. Huber said during the groundbreaking ceremony. That ceremony attracted about 100 people from the community, and for the most part was held in the lobby of the Home2 Suites because of the cold, windy weather. The Frontier Hospitality Group also owns Home2 Suites. Mr. Huber added that some of the features of the new hotel will include:
A bistro that will offer meals, drinks and a full menu.
Outdoor patio space.
Indoor swimming pool.
Fitness room.
An open lobby area.
Meeting room that will seat about 100 people.
In addition to being an attractive space for those visiting the area, the new hotel will be a great benefit to the local economy, several people said during the groundbreaking festivities. For instance, James Russell, founder and CEO of Russell, told the crowd that he estimates the new hotel project will include about $17 million in construction work, and about $8 million of that will be labor costs. Those labor costs translate into workers’ paychecks that will go directly back into the local economy.“The more we can build as a community, the better,” he added.Deb Anselm, representing the Quad Cities Chamber as its current board chair, added the new hotel will be a great “economic boost” to the community.Part of that economic boost will be the new workers it employs. Mr. Huber added that the new hotel will employ 30 permanent workers when it opens next year, and employ hundreds of construction workers during the building phase of the project. Many of those construction workers were already on the job Tuesday as a crew was busy with site development work.After the ceremony, the Frontier Hospitality Group leader told the QCBJ that it may be a challenge to find workers as the entire hospitality industry continues to struggle to find and keep employees. However, Mr. Huber added that the new hotel will get the needed employees as the worker shortage situation is improving, and Frontier is a local group with a good reputation.“It’s just going to require a lot of extra efforts” (to get employees), he added.Much of Tuesday’s ceremony was devoted to thanking the community, partners in the hotel project, contractors and subcontractors, and banks that helped finance the project.“We owe them a lot of money, and they don’t seem to mind,” he added.