Breaking Ground

AmericInn Baudette

AmericInn Breaks Ground on 18-room Expansion

North Waters Hospitality, based in Bemidji, MN, became the new owners of the AmericInn Lodge and Suites in Baudette on May 1 of this year.  North Waters Hospitality is made up of a group of individuals that own hotels throughout Minnesota and North Dakota.  The new owners took over from Con-Key, Inc., the company that built the location in Baudette back in 1998.
Within just weeks of taking over, the new owners have taken on a major expansion project.  A ceremonial ground-breaking took place on Tuesday, July 18 for a large expansion of the hotel that will include 18 additional guest rooms, a fitness and excercise facility, a meeting space for groups up to 30 people and an elevator. Currently, the hotel has 45 guest rooms.
Construction on the expansion actually started on July 5.
“We hope to have it (the expansion) open by December 1, hopefully sooner, definitely in time for ice fishing season,” said Bryan Lee of North Waters Hospitality.
Co-owner Dana Lee added, “We’re really excited to be a part of the Baudette community. We also own a cabin here and have always enjoyed coming here. We love to fish!”
With the larger hotel comes more jobs.
“Along with the expansion, we will be adding additional staff,” general manager Trish Schulz told the Northern Light Region.
In addition to the new owners and local staff members, employees of Discover Lodging were also on hand for the ground-breaking. Discover Lodging has worked with the local hotel for the past seven years as property managers of the facility.
Article and photo credit: Mike Hovde, Northern Light Region
AmericInn Baudette