What's new in the Flathead hotel scene?
<p>The Cedar Creek Lodge in Columbia Falls is expected to open June 21.</p>
<p>The new Hampton Inn and Suites is now open on Friday, May 6, in Whitefish. The Hampton opened and began taking reservations on April 20. They will be having a grand opening on June 8. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>The Firebrand Hotel is under construction on Friday, May 6, in Whitefish. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
Marriott Springhill Suites
CEDAR CREEK LODGE
The new Cedar Creek Lodge in Columbia Falls is nearing completion after crews broke ground in early November and continued through the winter months.
Erick Enz, project manager for Ruis Construction, said management is expecting a June 21 opening date. The hotel contains 64 rooms, a 3,000-square-foot conference center and a back patio for entertainment and events. Crews are currently laying carpet and adding trim around floors and doorways. The pool is complete and filled with water, Enz said, marking the project’s finishing stages.
HAMPTON INN & SUITES WHITEFISH
One of Whitefish’s two new hotels, the Hampton Inn & Suites Whitefish, had a soft opening on April 20.
Construction on the three-story, 76-room hotel began in May 2015. The hotel includes an indoor golf simulator and a 950-square-foot conference room.
The Hampton Inn & Suites will host a grand-opening ceremony on June 8.
FIREBRAND HOTEL
The Averill family, proprietors of the Lodge at Whitefish Lake and Flathead Lake Lodge, has been working since January to complete its most recent hospitality venture, the Firebrand Hotel in downtown Whitefish.
The hotel will include a rooftop patio, spa services and a 750-square-foot conference center. Each of the 86 rooms comes equipped with a smartphone-enabled lock allowing guests to open the door with a virtual key on their phone. The hotel has also developed a remote check-in app, allowing guests to check in without having to go to the front desk. An opening date has not yet been announced but the hotel is already taking reservations, beginning with August.
MARRIOTT SPRINGHILL SUITES
Kalispell’s Marriott Springhill Suites is expecting a June 1 opening as crews finish the final interior and exterior touches.
Construction on the 101-room hotel began last fall as developers aimed to open by summer tourist season. The Marriott will be the first building to be built and opened in the Spring Prairie Phase Four development south of Costco. The hotel offers wi-fi, a pool, fitness center and free breakfast.