EAST MOLINE, Illinois- Wednesday, December 12 was a big day for the city, as The Bend, its first hotel, opened up.
We had Breakfast With...the owner Dan Murphy, developer Mike VanDeHeede, and General Manager Ray Stoddard Thursday, December 13 on Good Morning Quad Cities.
The Bend is two hotels in one, a Hyatt House and a Hyatt Place, at 111 Bend Boulevard. The building is on the former industrial site of Case IH, where the company used to make combines. The hotel has transformed the blighted, deserted factory space on the city's riverfront. The 99-room Hyatt House is designed for extended stay and business travelers, featuring a full kitchen. They Hyatt Place includes 134 rooms for overnight stops and people attending weekend events.
Murphy, a Silvis native now living in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, says he wants to bring a little bit of life back to the city. The project has been a long time coming, with a number of investors and developers, over the past five years.
"I don't think people in this area know how vibrant this area was," Murphy said Thursday. "It was just a magical place for somebody my age to grow up, and I just really would like to see that again on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities."
Murphy says one of the cool spots at the hotel is the River Room, overlooking the Mississippi River. There's a bar there and also a bar and restaurant on the first floor of the complex. Breakfast opens at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. It opens at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
VanDeHeede says apartments are going into the site as well. He says work should start on those in just two weeks.
