Ground broken for new hotel in Idaho Falls; first tenant in new commercial development
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IDAHO FALLS — Officials and members of the community gathered on a three and a half acre parcel of land inside Jackson Hole Junction Tuesday afternoon for the groundbreaking of Holiday Inn & Suites.
The 78,000 square foot, four-story building will be a full-service hotel that will include 108 guest rooms, a restaurant and bar, fitness center, swimming pool, hot tub, and a 4,600 square foot conference room.
Ryan Gregersen, the chief financial officer for Morgan Construction, which owns the development, tells EastIdahoNews.com the timing of the hotel construction couldn’t be better.
“The hotel is going to do well here,” says Gregersen. “We wanted something that would be successful right out of the get-go, but also provide a very large presence (so) people can see this is really happening and it’s a big deal.”
In addition to tourism, Rusty Landon, the CEO of InnTrusted, which owns the prospective hotel, says there is a great need for the meeting space and it will be an asset to the community’s business sector.
“It will be a great asset to Idaho Falls to have a new hotel with a lot of meeting space with catering services and have everything in one location,” says Landon.
Holiday Inn & Suites is the first official tenant going into Jackson Hole Junction, a 42-acre, mixed-use commercial space.
Another tenant moving into the commercial development this summer is the Comprehensive Primary Care and Wellness Clinic.
Other tenants on the property are still being determined, but Gregersen says the could include restaurants, a gas station and convenience store, retail store, movie theater/bowling alley or other entertainment venues, a bank and even another hotel.
“We’re super excited. We think this is a great location, right off the interstate. It (will become) a new access (point) to Idaho Falls. We’re hopeful that we’ll pull a lot of traffic from (I-15) and get people into the community quickly,” says Gregersen.
Gregersen and his crew spent the summer removing lava rock from the commercial site, installing utilities and building roads. Light poles were installed just a few weeks ago. Landscaping on the project will continue once the weather warms up. There will also be a full movement traffic signal on Sunnyside Road by the entrance of Jackson Hole Junction once the hotel is up and running.
“Our goal is to get this thing going and build it out as quickly as possible and bring the (westward) growth of Idaho Falls. It’s a great opportunity for businesses and we hope that continues once the hotel gets going,” Gregersen says.
Construction on the hotel will begin right away. Holiday Inn & Suites is slated for completion in the spring of 2020.