By Marney Simon | Bugle Staff
The developers of a new hotel in Joliet hope their business becomes a nature-adjacent oasis for those looking to stay in the city.
The Holiday Inn and Suites on Houbolt Road and I-80 opened late last month. On May 1, Sejal Patel, a partner with the Hospitality Guru Group, gave a brief presentation to members of the Joliet City Council on the new facility and what it has to offer.
Construction began five years ago on the 120-room Holiday in, which sits on an 11-acre lot inside the Rock Run Business Park.
The new hotel features suites, a pool, hot tub and sauna, a workout facility, patio, and new restaurant.
Patel said the developers worked with the city to create a relaxing space that fits in with local nature trails.
“One of the things we felt really strongly about was creating a nice public space for the community,” Patel said. “Outdoor space is very important to us, and we were able to maintain the outdoor space. This building doesn’t actually have a back, there’s no, sort of, back of the building, so all four sides have been beautified. It turned out really nice and we see a lot of guests spending time out here… We really wanted to create a facility that connected to nature. In all the public spaces, you have a view of the outside, which we still have some work to beautify, but well get there.”
The new hotel also includes the Rock Run Convention Center, a 6,000 square-foot banquet space as well as 2,000 square feet of break-out meeting space.
The new hotel also includes a new restaurant, Burger Theory, one of 21 Holiday Inn-owned restaurants in the county. The restaurant opened in late April. Council members, asking about hours of the new restaurant, were told that hours could be adjusted based on clientele.
Patel said the depending on events, the building could house up to 1,000 people at any given time.
Thanked members of the city for their input and working together on the project.
“We’ve created a very beautiful and safe structure for the city of Joliet… I think we collectively created something nice,” Patel said.