Staybridge Rolls into Area

Holiday Inn has booked the Twin Cities for the rollout of its new extended-stay hotel concept, as the hotel chain looks to push its way into a market segment that's quickly filling up.

Staybridge Suites, a new hotel chain from Bass Hotels, the Atlanta-based parent company of Holiday Inn, will begin to appear in this market over the next six months, spearheaded by a pair of projects by Torgerson Properties of Willmar.

Torgerson is currently building one Staybridge Suites in Eagan. Another is planned for Maple Grove.

The extended-stay hotel market segment has grown quickly in recent years, targeting displaced executives and long-term business travelers. The Staybridge concept is aimed squarely at the upper end of the extended-stay market, a segment currently dominated by competitor Marriott Corp.'s Residence Inn hotels. Staybridge Suites will be more expensive than middle-market players such as Extended Stay America hotels, and will offer features such as round-the-clock staffing, a library and high-speed Internet hookups in guest rooms.

Currently, the only Staybridge Suites is in Atlanta. But the company hopes to build 10 Staybridges this year nationwide, with 200 planned over the next three years. The Eagan hotel is part of Bass Hotel's first rollout of the concept.

"They have a nice product, and they have the same perseverance and professionalism as somebody like Residence Inn," said Kirby Payne, the president of American Hospitality Management Co. in Golden Valley. "I don't think [Staybridge] will catch up to Residence Inn, simply because of the focus they have on the market. The issue is, will they be a strong No. 2 or 3? I think they will."

The Eagan hotel, which Torgerson began work on in June, will be part of the first rollout of the chain. The 89-room hotel, located off of Interstate 35E and adjacent to two other Torgerson-owned hotels, is expected to open this winter, said Torgerson vice president Kirk Schultz.

"There's a lot of business in Eagan that's transient," Schultz said. "We certainly feel there's a need for extended stay in that market."

Torgerson is planning a second Staybridge Suites property in Maple Grove, at the corner of Elm Creek Boulevard and Vinewood Lane. That development project, which is currently awaiting approval by the city's planning commission, proposes an 80,000-square-foot, 120-room hotel.

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