Hotelier opens Marriott property

Hotelier opens Marriott property

The Courtyard by Marriott Holland Downtown by Suburban Inns is located on E. 8th St. at Columbia Avenue. Photo by Rachel Weick

A new Marriott-brand hotel is now part of the downtown of a lakeshore city.

Courtyard by Marriott Holland Downtown, located at 121 E. 8th St., officially opened its doors to guests yesterday, nearly two years after Suburban Inns initially proposed developing a hotel in downtown Holland.

The five-story hotel is located near New Holland Brewing Co., Hope College, The Knickerbocker Theatre, Windmill Island Gardens and in the core of the downtown Holland shopping district.

While operating as a Marriott franchise, the hotel is owned and managed by Holland-based Suburban Inns.

Peter Beukema, COO of Suburban Inns, said the hotel is an exciting addition to the firm’s portfolio of hotel properties.

“This is our first downtown property and our first with the well-regarded Courtyard brand,” Beukema said. “We think it will be a valuable addition to the business and leisure amenities of the Holland community.”

The amenities

The hotel offers a number of amenities for guests: flexible room furniture arrangement and lighting; hybrid zones for working, sleeping and relaxing; a shower nook with shampoos and towels; media pods with complimentary Wi-Fi; The Bistro: Eat. Drink. Connect; business library with several computer terminals and printer; guest recycling program; 477-square-foot meeting space; Big E’s Sports Grill; indoor/outdoor hot tub; indoor swimming pool; fitness center; and guest laundry.

Designed with indirect lighting and a neutral tone color palette, along with its signature green Courtyard brand color, the space is intended to create a soothing ambience.

Callette Nielsen, VP and global brand manager of Courtyard, said the hotel is designed to offer business travelers a relaxing and functional space to “work they want to, when they want to.”

“From day one, Courtyard has prided itself as a brand that listens to business travelers,” Nielsen said. “Today’s technology has changed how people ravel. Our guests want a room that has purpose and flexibility that enables a seamless transition between relaxing and working.”

Project background

Suburban Inns announced in early February 2014 its plans to work with Plaza Reality and Lumir to purchase and redevelop unoccupied space near 121 E. 8th St. in downtown Holland.

At the time of the project announcement, it was anticipated to have a nearly $7.5 million to $10 million economic impact in the Holland community and close to 100 full- and part-time hotel and restaurant staff members.

Suburban Inns

Suburban Inns, founded in 1979, is a hotel and restaurant developer that owns and manages a number of properties in the state: Hampton Inn of Holland; Holiday Inn Express of Holland; Holiday Inn of Midland; Big E’s Sports Grill in Midland; and Sharkee’s Bar and Grill in Holland.