Construction site work began Monday for the Westin hotel project in downtown Milwaukee. The hotel is expected to open in the summer of 2017 on the U.S. Bank Campus in downtown Milwaukee. The hotel will be built on the east side of Van Buren Street, just south of the U.S. Bank Center.
The general contractor for the project is J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.
The 220-room hotel will be owned by Milwaukee-based Jackson Street Holdings, LLC and will be managed by Merrillville, Ind.-based White Lodging. On Friday, Jackson Street Holdings closed on its $4.5 million purchase of the site from U.S. Bank.
The 10-story hotel will include 9,000 square feet of meeting space, a 5,000-square-foot ballroom, a fine dining restaurant and a lobby bar.
“The Westin Milwaukee is a highly anticipated addition to our growing global portfolio and will energize the lodging market at the heart of this city’s vibrant downtown,” Brian Povinelli, global brand leader for Westin Hotels & Resorts and Le Méridien Hotels said in a statement.
The Westin is the third hotel partnership between White Lodging and Jackson Street Holdings, LLC, and is Jackson Street Holdings, LLC’s fourth hotel in downtown Milwaukee. The 155-all-suite SpringHill Suites Milwaukee, 744 N 4th St, will open in April, and will be connected via skywalk to the Wisconsin Center.
The Westin will connect to the U.S. Bank Center’s Galleria Level, which also connects to 833 East Michigan, the new Irgens office tower that opens March 1. Milwaukee developer Mark Irgens filed a lawsuit last month trying to block the hotel, but dropped the suit after one week.
“The Westin will be the closest hotel to Lake Michigan in Milwaukee and is connected indoors to over 3,000 people working downtown,” Chris Anderson, senior vice president and chief revenue officer with White Lodging, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to continue our great relationship with Jackson Street Holdings, and the ability to play a role in a beautiful addition to the Milwaukee skyline and the introduction of an international luxury brand to the market.”
