By: Meena Ramakrishnan

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is
bringing lifestyle brand Aloft Hotels to South Bend, Indiana—a move that’s mean to invigorate ongoing revitalization efforts downtown. This week, the hotel group announced that Aloft South Bend will be its first property in the area, a short distance away from Lake Michigan’s shores.

According to WSBT-TV, the new hotel will occupy Chase Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the city. Officials have called for more hotel rooms to meet demands from nearby Century Center, which has 75,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. Aloft South Bend joins an increasing number of hotel rooms planned for downtown South Bend in the next two years.

“We look forward to repositioning this ideally located hotel as an Aloft and creating an exciting and stylish destination in downtown South Bend with tremendous appeal for both local professionals and travelers,” said Robert Kraemer, principal of Kraemer Design Group. “The highly anticipated conversion and renovation project also marks an important step forward in the revitalization of downtown South Bend.”

With plans to open January 2017, Aloft South Bend will offer 183 loft-style guest rooms and 3,750 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space. The hotel will also be an entertainment hotspot with an emerging artists showcase, Live at Aloft Hotels. Musical performances will take place at the W XYZ bar.

The Aloft property will take the place of the former Magnuson Grand Hotel after a $15 million renovation and redesign by Kraemer Design Group. The new layout includes a ground-floor lobby, indoor pool, 24-hour fitness center and a signature food and beverage area. It will also offer mobile entry to guest rooms through SPG Keyless.

Aloft South Bend will occupy 11 floors of the mixed-use building, which will also have residential units and a parking garage. University of Notre Dame, Morris Performing Arts Center and Studebaker National Museum are nearby.

Read this story on Smart Meetings.