If you've wondered what that four-story building being constructed in northwest Minot near the west bypass is, it's the new Hyatt House.
A 130-suite upscale extended stay facility, the hotel is being developed by Barry Farah, of Colorado Springs, Colo. Farah also is the general contractor.
The Minot facility has the notoriety of being the first and only Hyatt House in North Dakota, said Paul Moore, of Roanoke, Va., spokesman for the developer, and Lorena Starkey, director of sales for the Minot facility.
Article Photos
Eloise Ogden/MDN
Eighty construction people are working at the site of the new Hyatt House being built in northwest Minot, shown here Friday morning. It will be the first Hyatt House in North Dakota.
Starkey, of Mohall, and David Wick, of Minot, general manager, began work this week in their new positions.The company will start hiring other staff in the next week or so, Moore said.
Currently, 80 construction people are working at the site at 2301 Landmark Drive NW.
Hyatt House, a Hyatt Corp. franchise, is a brand new type of hotel designed to remind guests of home and where guests feel more like residents of an upscale apartment community.
Fact Box
New Minot hotels
When the Hyatt House is completed this spring, Minot will have a total of about 30 hotels, said Wendy Howe, executive director of the Minot Convention and Visitors' Bureau.
Two more hotels, Comfort Suites near Days Inn and the Magic City Inn near Kroll's Diner are still being constructed.
Eleven new hotels opened in Minot last year, Howe said. She said the new Hyatt House will be the 12th new hotel opening in recent months.
Eloise Ogden
The hotel will have all suites 92 one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom and 18 studio, Starkey said.
"Every single room will have a full kitchen," she said.
"The studios, the smallest rooms, are 444 square feet. The largest two-bedroom suites are 916 square feet," Starkey said.
She said free laundry will be provided for the guests, and some suites will have in-room washers and dryers.
A complimentary full breakfast buffet will be available to their guests as well as a complimentary evening social Monday through Thursday.
The hotel also has a bar, indoor pool, fitness center and conference room.
Moore said he and developer Barry Farah were interested in investing in oil and gas. Farah, who is a pilot, made trips to Dickinson but he couldn't find a place to stay when he visited there and had to fly immediately back to Colorado. They began to research the hotel situation in this part of the state, including calling hotels in Minot. However, before the Minot project, they completed a property at Watford CityBakken Residence Suites.
Besides the oil and gas development in the area, Moore said they chose Minot because they also like the fact that Minot has the air base, a university and also future possible potash development.
Moore said the hotel will be finished this spring. Plans for a grand opening will be finalized shortly.
He said they hope that Hyatt House will be a four-star hotel. The hotel must open first and then be certified based on its amenities.
Moore said they also have a plot of land nearby but there are no specific plans for that area yet. He said they are interested in developing a restaurant there.
Currently, reservations are being accepted for Hyatt House in Minot. The reservation number is 1-701-838-7300 and the website is (www.minot.house.hyatt.com).