Sentry Insurance, which owns and operates the destination golf property across from its headquarters in Stevens Point, Wis., will build the upscale hotel just off its championship golf course’s 18th fairway, with an opening scheduled for the spring of 2021.
Following the hosting of a successful USGA event (the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship) at the property, Sentry Insurance has announced plans to build a boutique hotel at SentryWorld, the destination golf resort that is located across the street from the mutual insurer’s Stevens Point, WIs. headquarters.
C+RB featured SentryWorld as its November 2015 cover story (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/standing-tall-again-at-sentryworld/).
The new upscale hotel, which will serve Sentry Insurance’s business clientele, golfers and visitors to the community, is scheduled to open in the spring of 2021, with groundbreaking scheduled for the spring of 2020. It will be built just off the championship golf course’s 18th fairway, providing views of the course, which was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 1982 and served as the site of one of the early “Skins Game” competitions, and its parkland setting. The course, known for its famous “Flower Hole,” was renovated in 2012-13 by a team that included Robert Trent Jones, Jr., who has called SentryWorld “my Mona Lisa.”
The hotel, featuring spacious suites and intimate gathering spaces, will be designed to be ideal for weddings and corporate retreats and to provide “an authentic, Wisconsin-style hospitality experience” for guests.
The SentryWorld complex, located within steps of the planned hotel, offers unique event spaces, including an Atrium, Grand Hall and Fieldhouse, to host bigger weddings and conferences. SentryWorld also provides professional event-planning and catering services, plus a restaurant and bar, bridal salon and pergola for outdoor weddings.
“Sentry thrives on building relationships and delivering exceptional customer service,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry Insurance’s Chairman of the Board, President and CEO. “Owning and operating a boutique hotel on our campus will allow us to provide our business insurance customers, agents and brokers with a truly distinctive experience. And it will offer visitors to SentryWorld, and our community, extraordinary comfort and amenities during their stay.”
Added Mike James, SentryWorld’s General Manager: “During the recent U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, SentryWorld proved that it’s worthy of hosting additional high-profile events. Offering an on-course, luxury hotel will help drive that endeavor. And it will further elevate SentryWorld’s status as being a top destination for golf vacations and weddings.”
Swaback Architects, which designed the reimagined SentryWorld complex in 2013, will design the hotel. “Our vision with the hotel is to follow the contemporary lines of SentryWorld with a blend of stone, heavy timbers and plenty of grandeur that will make the property enjoyable year-round,” said John Sather, Swaback’s Managing Partner. “The room views will be absolutely stunning. And the hotel will have an active vibe, as we look to connect the indoors to the outdoors and make good use of the adjacent 27-mile recreational trail.”
“Instead of a typical lobby, picture a gathering room that will welcome guests home—that’s what we’re envisioning with this new hotel,” added Sather. “By adding lodging to all the other activities, including dining and golf, SentryWorld really becomes an event and recreation destination like no other in central Wisconsin.”
J.H. Findorff & Son, which built the new Sentry office last year in Stevens Point, will oversee construction.
Sara Brish, Executive Director of the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said that “Adding a luxury hotel to the mix of the wide variety of accommodations for visitors in the Stevens Poiint area will serve those seeking that one-of-a-kind experience. Being located at SentryWorld, with its beautiful, high-quality event spaces, will help attract more weddings, corporate retreats and tradeshows to our community.”
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