The project, to be built on a five-acre site adjacent to Interstate Highway 94, is being developed by Hospitality Ventures of Johnson Creek, LLC, and will include a 76-room Baymont Inn & Suites hotel and a 400-seat banquet and conference center. 

Hospitality Ventures spokesman and co-owner Dick Schulze said that, while the hotel will be positioned in the popular mid-price lodging segment, it will have amenities not ordinarily found in such a property.  Room types will include seven upscale whirlpool suites, eight two-room suites for families or extended stays, and traditional �king� and �double queen� rooms.  While room rates have not yet been established, Schulze said they would start in the $69 range.

A large indoor swimming pool and whirlpool will be available for guests and will likely be made available to Johnson Creek area residents for birthday parties and other celebrations, and meeting rooms also will be made available to community groups.

�While the facility itself is important, what is really exciting is who will operate it,� Schulze said.  �My partners in the project, with a 50 percent ownership interest, are Jim and Sandy Zilli, one of the most experienced food service families in Wisconsin.  The Zilli family is known for their fine dining restaurant, the Grandview Inn of Waukesha, and for Ellen�s Prestige Catering, one of the Midwest�s largest high-quality catering firms. 

�The Zilli�s will manage and operate the hotel and banquet facilities and will make wedding and meeting planning an absolute pleasure and the events themselves very memorable,� Schulze said. 

The conference/banquet center will have its own identity and be designed to become the social event center of Jefferson County and the surrounding area � catering to weddings, parties, business meetings and other gatherings.  The main ballroom will seat up to 400 people banquet-style and can be divided into six smaller dining or meeting areas. 

State-of-the-art sound and computer capabilities will be built in.  Of special interest to wedding planners will be a separate �bride�s room� where the bridal party can gather to relax, change clothes or freshen up before a reception.

Schulze, a retired executive of the former Harnischfeger Industries, is active in other Johnson Creek area commercial development projects.  He also is involved in the building of a 52-room Baymont Inn & Suites in Waterford, Wis. 

With the approval of the Johnson Creek project by the Village Board, the architect for the complex, Stan Ramaker of Design II in Fond du Lac, Wis., will now develop final plans and specifications, Schulze said.  Construction could begin in March with an opening in time for Christmas 2002, he added. 

�Given the high visibility of this project at the front door to the Village, we are going to extra lengths to make certain that the site has green space, lighting and landscaping appropriate to the area.  It will be a high-class development,� Schulze said.

�We are very excited to be a part of this project,� said Dan Daniele, president of Baymont Franchises International.  �The Johnson Creek Baymont Inn & Suites with adjacent conference center will be unique and we hope will be the cornerstone of future development in the area.�

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Baymont Inns & Suites is a mid-priced lodging chain recognized for its high-quality amenities, excellent service and attractive rates.