Dec. 30–MINOOKA — Minooka Mayor Pat Brennan remembers hearing in 2002, when he became a village trustee, about the prospects of a hotel in Minooka.

On Dec. 21, that possibility became a reality, as Hampton Inn & Suites opened at 621 Bob Blair Road. Construction began in October 2014. The hotel is expected to bring a new hotel-based tax to the village.

"It's early to say how much it'll bring in, but when it does come, it'll be a nice boost," Brennan said.

The hotel takes up two of nine lots in the development it's housed in, and likely will be the anchor of the property. Minooka hopes to fill out the remaining seven lots with more businesses.

The development's property owners have mentioned restaurants as candidates to use the remaining space, but Brennan expects all interested parties to wait about a year to see how the hotel performs before pursuing anything further.

"As we get the property filled out, it's going to be a very nice tax base for the people of Minooka," Brennan said.

The family-owned company that developed the hotel is from Iowa and this is its first location in Illinois. Brennan said he has heard Hilton, Hampton Inn & Suites' parent company, may be interested in two lots across the street.

Nearby warehouse occupants, such as Grainger and Trader Joe's, are glad the hotel came to fruition because it gives executives a place to stay when they have meetings in Minooka, Brennan said. Previously, the nearest hotels were in Morris and Joliet.

"Corporate folks come to visit Grundy County, and sometimes they don't have a place to stay," Grundy Economic Development Council CEO Nancy Norton Ammer said. "This is a very nice option for business people."

Norton Ammer said the hotel can provide lodging for traveling tradespeople who will work on forthcoming projects, such as LyondellBasell's large maintenance outage.

While the village hopes for further development, area businesses already are appreciative. Brennan said KFC, which is adjacent to the hotel, and others have served hotel customers since it opened.

"Everyone's happy," he said.

The hotel's tax incentive package, agreed on in May 2014, includes a three-year, 50 percent real estate tax abatement equaling about $240,000; waiver of village building permit fees between $15,000 and $25,000; and a 90 percent rebate of the hotel tax for 10 years or until the total incentive package, including tax rebates and fee waivers, totals $1.5 million, whichever comes first.

Minooka once had a hotel on the north side of Interstate 80, but it fell out of use and eventually was demolished more than 10 years ago.