Holland's $10M boutique hotel aims to be one of a kind

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

In February, Charter House Innovations (CHi) broke ground on a $10 million, 65,000-square-foot boutique hotel in downtown Holland. This is the first hotel for the manufacturer of furniture for the quick-serve restaurant industry, but it won't be the last.

"The plan is to develop the hotel as a chain," said President and Managing Partner Charles Reid, adding that the company is talking with potential developers in southeast Michigan, Georgia, and Nebraska.

Reid and his partners, Brian Rudesill and Ned O'Brien, wanted to expand their product line into the hospitality industry. So why not build a hotel using their company designers to create the interiors and the furniture, and then produce the furniture themselves?

"For us to do it ourselves, we can control the environment and setting," Reid said. "It's given our design team another opportunity to use their creativity and it keeps them motivated."

The five-story building is being constructed on the corner of 7^th and College, where guests will have a view of Lake Macatawa and Holland from many of the rooms, and from the fifth floor restaurant. Each of the hotel's 56 rooms will be different from the others; there will be no two rooms alike, including the furniture.

"When you come to stay in our hotel, you have to come 56 different times to experience the whole hotel," Reid said with a laugh.

Reid plans to spin off the hotel's furniture designs into the company's restaurant furniture line. He expects to hire over 100 hotel employees and workers to produce the new furniture line at CHi's headquarters.

At this time, CHi hasn't officially named the hotel, but an announcement is expected soon. Construction will be completed by Christmas.

Source: Charles Reid, Charter House Innovations
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