22 WSBT

Sept. 28, 2021

Video: https://wsbt.com/news/local/hotel-elkhart-opens-for-business

The City of Elkhart and developers held a ribbon cutting for the newly remodeled Hotel Elkhart. Touring the interior, people get to check out the new café, bar, rooftop ballroom, and rooms. Mayor Rod Roberson says it’s a big step for the city.

“It’s important to make sure that people are walking, eating, living, being able to spend the night here, being able to enjoy the ballroom upstairs,” said Mayor Roberson. “So that you’re downtown becomes a part of the community in a way that people want to come out and participate.”

With 93 rooms now available right in downtown, Roberson says they needed a place for people to stay.

“For Elkhart to be a destination place we needed to have a downtown hotel. That demand is built into the fabric of having other amenities downtown that makes sense. So the Lerner, the Central green, the aquatic center,” said Roberson.

Roberson knows having more people staying longer will help other local businesses. Starting with the first cup of coffee, which Regina Troyer is excited to know is hers.

“To have our name on the bag that is literally in every guest room as they wake up in the morning,” said Troyer. “That whole relish your morning which is there a theme of their coffee and café which is to be able to enjoy your morning. I’m very excited to be a part of this.”

Her coffee shop is based out of Goshen and looking to expand.

“We’ve never had an opportunity to partner with a boutique hotel like this before. It kind of puts us on the map,” said Troyer.

Across the street Jenifer Rupnow hopes it blossoms into new business for her flower shop.

“It’s great to have people come in and browse around,” said Rupnow.” Stop and smell the flowers that’s what we want. We want you to come and see and we want you to enjoy what we do here. “

She believes it will make every event bigger moving forward, which will bring more people into stores. Mayor Roberson says the hotel is already giving life to new opportunities as developers have been reaching out about other properties.

“Not just the shovel ready dirt but buildings that are already up and how can we can re-design them,” said Roberson.

With a private event and Notre Dame game scheduled for this weekend, the hotel is already 84 percent booked.