The Elkhart Truth

Sept. 23, 2021

ELKHART — Half a century after its last guests checked out, the renovated Hotel Elkhart will have its grand opening on Tuesday.

Originally constructed in 1923 but closed as a hotel in the early 1970s, the new Hotel Elkhart – operated as a part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection – will offer 93 guest rooms, two restaurants, ballroom, meeting space and a rooftop bar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in Relish Café & Convections featuring fresh-made pastries, bread and desserts, coffee through Goshen roaster Refinery Coffee and specialty

chocolates by Mishawaka chocolatier Sanaa. The Corner Bar, placed on the corner of Main and

Marion streets, offers “high-end cocktails, smallplates and lite-fare dinner.”

The redesigned Aria Ballroom and Prelude pre-function space located on the ninth floor will accommodate larger groups such as weddings, corporate events and conferences. Also on the ninth floor, the hotel has its rooftop bar, The High Note, which offers a view of much of the city. The property also offers small meeting rooms and boardrooms and a fitness center.

The $23 million renovation, which began in 2018 and was delayed by more than a year, was led by Cressy Commercial Real Estate and Mno-Bmadsen, which is the non-gaming investment arm of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. It has received support from government entities, including the City of Elkhart.

“We’re incredibly honored to be a partner on this investment and are excited to see this property brought back to life in what are the ancestral lands of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. It is a labor of love. Love for Elkhart and love for our community as a whole,” Mno-Bmadsen CEO Julio Martinez said in a news release Wednesday.

The renovation was initially expected to cost around $15 million, and the plan was for the hotel to open in March 2020. However, developers said the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The redevelopment of this complex project was not an easy task. It required the commitment, perseverance, and partnership from both the public and private sectors to bring it to fruition. This includes the love and support of so many from the Elkhart community who share Hotel Elkhart’s long and rich history,” said Edward Bradley, partner and senior vice president at Cressy Commercial Real Estate.

While the renovation means Hotel Elkhart has been modernized, developers have kept many original elements.

“When you have the opportunity to renovate a building that is almost 100 years old, that opportunity comes with the responsibility of ensuring the renovation maintains the authenticity of the building,” said Kimberly Christner, president and CEO of Cornerstone Hospitality. “Hotel Elkhart is the Grand Dame of Downtown Elkhart and we’re excited to start making new stories with the guests who stay with us as well as the Elkhart community.”

The ribbon-cutting, hosted by the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce, begins at 10:30 a.m.

at the hotel’s Marion Street entrance and will be followed by tours.

https://www.elkharttruth.com/business/hotel-elkhart-grand-opening- scheduled/article_926e3dbb-95c3-584c-9d53-a247482c030c.html