Some great news for the Ruvin project and the city as a whole:
Luxury hotel called boost for downtown
San Francisco-based chain to use Sydney Hih site
By TOM DAYKIN
tdaykin@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 20, 2006
Kimpton Hotels, known for its luxury boutique hotels in Chicago, New York and other cities, will operate a new hotel planned for Milwaukee's Park East area - which could greatly elevate the downtown hospitality market.
Kimpton was named operator for a 180-room hotel planned as part of a $104 million mixed-use development. That project, which includes condominiums, offices and shops, will be developed on the mostly vacant block bordered by N. Old World 3rd and N. 4th streets, and W. Juneau and W. McKinley avenues.
The hotel will incorporate the Sydney Hih building, which is located on the site, and the former Gipfel brewery, which local developer Robert Ruvin plans to move to the block and renovate.
Ruvin and Dallas-based Gatehouse Capital Corp. plan to begin construction on the mixed-use development by late 2007. The County Board agreed in September to sell the parcel to Ruvin and Gatehouse, which have since been conducting soil tests and lining up financing for the project.
Open by 2009
San Francisco-based Kimpton, which operates 43 hotels, plans to have the Milwaukee hotel open by late 2009, said Jim Alderman, senior vice president for acquisitions and development.
Alderman said Wednesday that the hotel, which is yet unnamed, will carry all of the Kimpton hallmarks: luxurious furnishings, an "intense" level of customer service and rates that occupy the upper end of the market. He said the average daily rate will likely be over $180.
Kimpton's hotels include three Chicago properties: Hotel Monaco, Hotel Burnham and Hotel Allegro. Alderman said Kimpton is expanding rapidly because of heavy demand from its customers who travel extensively, especially for business.
"We now are starting to extend our reach a little beyond the core cities," Alderman said.
San Francisco-based Kimpton has 10 hotels under construction, and 15 more projects - including the Milwaukee property - in the development pipeline.
High-end niche
Milwaukee, Alderman said, has plenty of hotel rooms but "not a lot of high-end boutique" rooms. He said Kimpton will fill that niche, and said other high-end operators are considering the downtown market.
Plans by Manpower Inc. to move its global headquarters from Glendale to downtown is among the positive developments that are drawing attention from high-end hotel operators, Alderman said. He also praised the downtown night life, and compared its restaurants and clubs to those in Chicago and Dallas.
"I was actually shocked to see how lively your night scene is in Milwaukee," Alderman said. "It's all building up to having a hotel match up with them."
Kimpton's commitment to the project "brings a whole new dynamic to downtown Milwaukee," said Greg Hanis, a hotel industry consultant based in Pewaukee.
"Wow! That's stunning," Hanis said upon hearing the news.
Kimpton is well known for running high-end hotels, said Hanis, who operates Hospitality Marketers Inc. He said a Kimpton in downtown Milwaukee would be "a leap" above the current high-end operators, which include the Pfister Hotel, Hotel Metro and Hyatt Regency Milwaukee.
Hanis said the Kimpton will market itself to corporate travelers drawn by such companies as Manpower, Rockwell Inc. and Harley-Davidson Inc. He said local businesses looking to impress clients will pay for their rooms at the Kimpton property.
20-story development
The hotel will be the centerpiece of the 20-story Ruvin/Gatehouse development. Gatehouse has developed other high-end hotels, including a Joule Hotel in Dallas that is operated by Kimpton.
"Kimpton is the first brand of many to be revealed for this project," said Marty Collins, Gatehouse chief executive officer, in a statement. Other brands, he said, will be tied to the project's ground-floor retail, restaurant, bar, fitness center and a "rooftop entertainment venue."
Kimpton's hotels tend to have different names in different cities. In New York, its properties include the Muse Hotel, and in Boston, it operates the Nine Zero Hotel.
Might the Milwaukee hotel by named for the Sydney Hih Building, or the former Gipfel brewery?
"We're not sure," Ruvin said. "But we promise it will be interesting."
Other projects
The Ruvin/Gatehouse project's preliminary plans include 70 condos, 55,000 square feet of offices and a 330-car parking structure.
It is among several big developments moving forward in the 64-acre Park East area, which includes 16 acres made available after the former Park East Freeway was razed.
The Common Council last week approved city financial assistance for The North End, a $175 million project with nearly 500 housing units planned for the site of the former Pfister & Vogel tannery, which will be demolished.
The council also approved funding for the planned $205 million transformation of the former Pabst brewery into housing, offices and shops. The Pabst site is technically outside the Park East area. But the redevelopment area's western border abuts the Pabst property.
Other projects include Park East Square, a plan for hotels, apartments and stores on two empty blocks bordered by N. Jefferson St., N. Broadway, E. Lyon St. and E. Ogden Ave.