Lodging growth

New Hilton Garden Inn features huge convention center

When the four-story Hilton Garden Inn opens this summer, it will feature the biggest ballroom in the Flathead Valley.

The 8,500-square-foot ballroom, along with an additional 3,800 square feet of prefunction space, will be part of a 14,000-square-foot conference center.

The high-end $21 million hotel complex is on target for a mid-June opening.

"We have a pretty good track record of coming close to our [projected opening] dates," said Kalispell native Jay Wildgen, general manager of the hotel. "We feel pretty comfortable that we'll be close to our target."

Gateway Hospitality Group and longtime hotel businessman Joe Guibault of Lakeside developed the hotel property, which is owned by Kalispell Hotel LLC, a limited liability corporation that includes both Gateway and Guibault.

Public response to the Hilton has been very good, said Sherri Gerek, director of sales and marketing.

"We're already in the pre-sale period, we're ramping up," she said, "selling groups, conventions and large events. The response has been overwhelmingly supportive."

Wildgen said the sheer size of the hotel presents another realm of lodging possibilities for large groups.

"We're excited. We know a number of groups have outgrown the existing facilities [in the Flathead Valley] and now can take another look and include us in the rotation.

"Our service standards, we believe, will set us apart," he added.

The Hilton offers 144 guest rooms, nine suites and three rooms equipped with a Jacuzzi. The entire hotel, rooms included, is a non-smoking facility.

Complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access is available in all conference rooms and throughout the hotel.

"A unique aspect is that you can print through special software anywhere in the hotel," Wildgen said. "You can print from your room to printers in our business center. Our business center is fully stocked."

While the Hilton caters to all customer sectors - tourists, meeting and convention goers and business clients, the corporation places special emphasis on making sure business customers have what they need.

"Our business customers are here throughout the entire year. It's important to have the facilities they need to achieve their mission," Wildgen said. "We're setting guidelines so we make sure we have good availability for business travelers at all times."

THE HOTEL will feature two restaurants.

The Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern will offer "creative American cooking," Wildgen said, with familiar dishes layered with new flavors. The Blue Canyon Web site (www.bluecanyonrestaurant.com) indicates the menu will include dishes such as pretzel-crusted trout with caper butter, black-pepper linguine tossed with poached Maine lobster and lemongrass sauce and brick-oven flat bread with barbecued chicken.

Todd Liphardt, formerly with the Blue Stone Grill in Lakeside, is executive manager of the Blue Canyon restaurant.

Within the restaurant, the Silver Canyon gaming area will feature video games and poker tables.

The in-house restaurant is the Great American Grill, which primarily will be open for breakfast. It can be used for overflow space, Wildgen said.

Hiring for 120 to 150 employees for the Hilton complex has begun.

"Staffing is a work in progress," Wildgen said. "We'll gradually add to our salaried staff. Most of them are anticipated to be in place by mid-May. Prior to that we'll conduct mass interviews for the balance of positions and make offers no later than a month out."

Employees will undergo two weeks of intensive training. The Kalispell hotel will have corporate support for training and oversight as it gets up and running.

There's been a considerable amount of unsolicited interest from prospective employees, Gerek said.

"I think people see the whole campus, and there are numerous areas they can fold into," she said.

Wildgen said the community in general "is supportive and excited."

Gateway Hospitality Group has been aggressively pursuing markets in Montana, he added. The Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula opened last year, and construction is under way on a similar Hilton hotel in Billings.

HILTON HOTELS Corp. offers a number of hotel products, including Doubletree, Embassy Suits, Hampton Inn, Hilton Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton.

A grand opening for the Kalispell Hilton Garden Inn is tentatively planned for September.

Will any of the famous Hiltons be attending?

"They'll be here in spirit," Wildgen said with a smile.

Flathead Business Journal editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com