Hawkeye Hotels, JR Hospitality open trio of hotels in Milwaukee

HAWKEYE HOTELS IS making its premier in downtown Milwaukee with a dual brand Home2 Suites by Hilton and Tru by Hilton along with a neighboring Holiday Inn Express. The hotel campus will employ more than 100 workers and provide a total of 331 rooms.

The 115-room Home2 Suites and 100-room Tru will occupy one of the two buildings in the campus with the 116-room Holiday Inn Express next door. Along with being the first properties Hawkeye Hotels has opened in the city’s downtown, each hotel is the first of its brand in that part of the city.

“We are very excited to be a part of the Downtown Milwaukee community. Although the market has slowed down in recent times due to Covid, we are extremely optimistic that Downtown Milwaukee will continue to grow in the years to come,” said Jay Patel, Hawkeye Hotels development manager. “We look forward to hosting a grand opening next year once it is safe to do so.”

There will be a shared fitness center between the two Hilton hotels, an indoor pool, fitness center and business center in both buildings. The hotels will be near Interstate 794, Lake Michigan,  the U.S. Bank Center and the city’s historic Third Ward.

Hawkeye Hotels partnered with Minnesota-based JR Hospitality on the project.

“Having multiple brands in close proximity allows us to serve different needs of our guests. Home2 Suites is an extended stay property with kitchenettes catering to long term guests whereas the Tru and Holiday Inn Express brands are targeted to our transient guests staying one to two nights,” said Jay Bhakta, JR Hospitality’s managing partner.

JR Hospitality is a third generation hotel company with its portfolio primarily in the Midwest. Hawkeye Hotels, formed in 1982 in Mena, Arkansas, today owns and operates more than 50 hotels across the country with an additional 50 hotels under development.

In January, Hawkeye Hotels opened the boutique hotel Chauncey, in Iowa City, Iowa. The 51-room hotel is part of a mixed-use development that includes a movie theater, coffee shop, offices and condominiums.