Many people driving down I-90 may have noticed an area that used to be a gravel pit and may now be home to one of the biggest developments this area has ever seen.
"I can tell you that Bozeman is probably the top of our list of all our markets from a high-growth standpoint. And there continues to be a high demand for hotel beds," Says Mike Elliot, CEO of ERES Capital.
Elliot is referring to the newest addition to Bozeman’s hotel space—a 125-room Hampton Inn and Suites coming to the Yellowstone Airport Plaza in Belgrade.
He says this area has grown rapidly since the completion of the Belgrade interchange in 2016.
"We’ve got more airport travel today than ever in history and we’re just building the support to handle that traffic coming in and out of the area," says Elliot.
The groundbreaking of this project is expected to happen by the end of the year. The hotel will be 72,000 square feet and four stories high with amenities like patios, meeting rooms, a fitness center, and classic mountain views.
ERES is also the developer of the only other hotel in the plaza, EVEN Hotel, as well as the workforce housing across the street.
"Our proximity to the airport, our proximity to downtown Bozeman, and ultimately the road to Yellowstone really positions us to accommodate any leisure traveler that’s going to come through and need that jumping off point," says the manager of EVEN hotel, Chris Freeman.
He says developers put a lot of thought into the projects, taking all amenities, staff, and even noise into consideration.
"Just in the small amount of time you’ve been here, I bet there have been planes, there may have been a train, and the freeway right here and you would never know," he says.
Freeman says he's excited to see the area develop: "From the stories, from the gravel pit this used to be to the plans that we have for this area—it’s all incredible."
