Long-Empty Idaho Falls Hotel Project Could Open By Mid-Summer

A skeleton of a building hovering over Broadway in Idaho Falls for years may be completed within a few months.

The Marriott Residence Inn project on the Idaho Falls Greenbelt has had its share of snags, but folks could be checking in by summer.

“We’re extremely confident and we’re really excited and this is happening,” said property general manager Bjoern Jaeger.

Jaeger just moved to Idaho Falls from Boise to run the new Residence Inn location.

“A lot of wall paper and carpet and all those items are being put into place right now,” he said.

The 5-story, 108-room hotel has stood empty for years amidst stalled construction and financial hiccups, but Jaeger said on Monday that opening day is likely just around the corner. The company hopes for mid-summer.

It is, of course, a matter of everything going to plan.

“There’s a lot of items that need to be procured from different vendors,” he said. “There could be lead times there. From a construction side, you know, things go in a specific order and one item can hold up other items.”

The opening could mean a boost for local business. Jaeger said the extended-stay model means a customer will call the hotel home for longer, and that could open up more possibility for partnerships throughout the community.

“We do dry-cleaning, same day dry cleaning, so obviously a local business is going to benefit from that,” said Jaeger. “Same with the other vendors, really trying to work with them, and I think it all trickles down.”

Of course, there will be jobs, too. Jaeger said once a completion date is pinned down, the hiring process can begin.

“We’d hate to have people idle,” he said. “Usually a month before opening is when a majority of the hiring happens.”

Jaeger said the extended-stay model is filling a void in the Idaho Falls market.

It will be the first hotel in the city built specifically for longer stays.