New hotel breaks ground in Luverne

• Groundbreaking

Julie Buntjer/Daily Globe Members of Luverne Hotel Partners join representatives of GrandStay Hospitality in breaking ground on a new GrandStay Inn & Suites Wednesday morning along U.S. 75 in Luverne.

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LUVERNE — They weren’t exactly singing in the rain, but more than a dozen individuals ranging from local investors to hotel management gathered under umbrellas in Luverne Wednesday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new 51-room, 12-suite GrandStay Inn & Suites.

With contractors moving dirt in the background, GrandStay Hospitality Inc. President Jon Kennedy joined members of Luverne Hotel Partners on the site directly west of the former Pizza Hut along U.S. 75. By late April or early May 2013, the hotel is anticipated to open.

Plans for a new hotel with an extended-stay option have been discussed by community leaders for about a year and a half, according to Gary Papik, one of 12 individual investors making up Luverne Hotel Partners.

“It seemed like there was kind of a need for a different type of hotel in Luverne,” Papik said. “We were having a lot of people going to other communities to stay.”

With Luverne’s community revitalization efforts in full swing, Papik said getting a new hotel establishment in the community was an important first step.

“There was a need in the community, and we think we’ll meet that need now,” Papik said, adding he hopes it will build some enthusiasm in the community that by coming together, things can get done.

“There are just a lot of great people in Luverne who want to see some things happen,” he added. “We thought this was a good starting point to get this revitalization moving.”

The two-story hotel will provide an array of amenities not only for those passing through town and needing a one-night stay, but for those who need a place to stay for a week, a month or longer.

Christopher Morrissey, project and development manager for Morrissey Companies, which will manage the Luverne GrandStay, said each room will offer either a king or double/queen option, and the same is true for the suites.

The extended-stay suites will also feature a small kitchenette, complete with refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, two-burner range and cabinets filled with tableware, pots and pans. Wi-Fi will be available throughout the facility.

Common areas of the GrandStay Inn & Suites will include a swimming pool and hot tub, guest laundry, vending area, breakfast room and meeting space.

Complimentary breakfast for guests will include cold cereals as well as eggs, bacon and waffles.

The hotel will also offer 24-hour complimentary coffee service, Morrissey said.

The meeting space and pool area will be available for rent for community events, ranging from Chamber meetings to family gatherings and birthday parties, he added.

Morrissey, who will assist in preopening development and ongoing operational management for the new GrandStay, said additional dirt work and framing will be completed this fall, with the hope of getting everything enclosed before winter to concentrate on interior work.

As the project nears completion, staff will be hired for the facility. Morrissey said approximately 10 to 12 full-time equivalent positions will be filled, consisting of a mix of full- and part-time employees.

“(The jobs) will be good for a lot of people who will need secondary incomes,” he added.

GrandStay Inn & Suites has 25 properties, located primarily in Minnesota with others in Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, Florida and California. Projects are currently under construction in North Dakota and Michigan as well. Luverne’s GrandStay is expected to open shortly before other GrandStay projects now under way in Chisago Lakes and Delano.

“We’re growing in the small- to medium-sized communities,” said Kennedy, adding that they were attracted to Luverne by the investor interest sparked when GrandStay opened in Pipestone.

“I like small communities,” Kennedy said. “Luverne is a lovely community, and I’ve met so many nice people there. They have a lot of unique things going on; the community seems very involved; it’s a very progressive group of people that I’ve met.”

Kennedy described GrandStay as an “up and coming brand with a very good quality product” that brings an asset to the community of Luverne.

“It’s wonderful to welcome another lodging establishment that will complement the wonderful lodging options we have in Luverne right now,” added Jane Wildung-Lanphere, director of the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce. “We just don’t have any extended-stay sort of suites in our community.”

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