The Bohemian Hotel announced Tuesday it would open for the Independence Day weekend.
The opening is the culmination of a $5 million renovation of the former Highlander Hotel, a project that owner Angela Harrington undertook to capture the charm of the property's historic supper club days of the 1960s and '70s.
The Bohemian Hotel is Harrington's second such project in Iowa after she opened the Hotel Grinnell three years ago in Grinnell.
The Bohemian Hotel sits at the intersection of Interstate Highway 80 and North Dodge Street. And while many real estate investors and developers have concentrated on downtown Iowa City of late, Harrington said she sees the location near I-80 as a plus.
The 65,000-square-foot property includes a fresh air gym with equipment spaced at CDC-recommended intervals and an indoor pool with garage doors that open out to a courtyard. Behind it, visitors will find the Highlander Lounge and its assortment of cocktails — many of which are rebirths from the Highlander days like the Urban Hippie, which is an update on the usual Grasshopper. In addition, the space will feature murals from Iowa City artist Thomas Agran.
“This is the first time the hotel hasn’t been affiliated with a chain since the first owners opened the hotel in 1973," Harrington said in a news release. "We are so excited to bring it back as an independent one-of-a-kind hotel; one that celebrates its history and where it is in the world."
And there's more to come, according to Harrington, as the hotel prepares to host "Highlander Supper Club" nights in its ballroom featuring live music.
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Harrington believes a boutique market of heavy on amenities is a solution to beating out the competition in a saturated market. In the Iowa City area, hotel demand — while growing relatively quickly prior to the pandemic — has not kept pace with supply. Between 2017 and 2018, the demand for hotel rooms grew by 4.4%; the supply of hotel/motel rooms, on the other hand, grew by 19.5%. And when the Marriott Element, Chauncey, Drury, Staybridge and Courtyard open in the next few years, that supply is expected to increase by 34% more, exacerbating a supply glut the area already faces.
On top of that, the coronavirus pandemic has had dire implications for the sector. Josh Schamberger, the president of Think Iowa City, told the Press-Citizen at the end of May that occupancy in April usually runs about 72% across the market. “We ran at 20.6%. That’s a 50% drop year-over-year, and that’s marketwide.”
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Harrington told the Press-Citizen that before the pandemic a large part of the revenue plan was for event business. With the expectation there lowered, she said they are opening because they're ready.
"I don't anticipate a whole bunch of guests, but if families are wanting a staycation clsoe to home, it is a turning into a pretty amazing space," Harrington said. "Travel is still really slow. We anticipate a slow, easy startup."
In addition to heightened sanitation standards, she said the hotel will use a contact-free check-in process and are limiting occupancy. With those precautions and some promising bookings for later in the year, Harrington said it was just the right time to open.
"I do not see corporate travel nor business conferences and that sort of thing coming in the near future, but beginning 2021, we have a wedding after wedding booked and holiday parties booked in December," Harrington said.
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Zachary Oren Smith writes about government, growth and development for the Press-Citizen. Reach him at zsmith@press-citizen.com or 319 -339-7354, and follow him on Twitter via @zacharyos.
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After $5 million renovation, The Bohemian Hotel will open for the holiday weekend in Iowa City - Iowa City Press-Citizen
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