Pablo Group Unveils Plans for Hotel Next to Sonnentag Center
university event facility slated to begin construction this year
Pablo Group, an Eau Claire real-estate company, will build a hotel next to the planned County Materials Complex, a public-private development on Menomonie Street that will include a new event center for the university.
The hotel will be a SpringHill Suites by Marriott, and construction will start this summer with an opening anticipated in 2024, Pablo Group announced Wednesday.
“The Pablo Group’s mission is to build vitality in downtown Eau Claire,” Julia Johnson, one of Pablo Group’s partners, said at a press conference Wednesday. “Every project we have taken on is joined by a mission to grow the energy and strength of our community, a mission that was inspired by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s last downtown project” – the Pablo Center at the Confluence.
Johnson said the new development “will be a unique hotel option in downtown Eau Claire,” including large rooms, an indoor pool, and more at a “popular price point.”
“We believe that staying downtown is the best experience for Eau Claire visitors, providing pedestrian access to shops, food, rivers, art, and attractions,” she added. The four-story hotel will include 128 guest rooms, a dedicated meeting space, and other amenities. It was cater to concertgoers, sports teams, and other visitors drawn by the County Materials Center and the city as a whole.
Johnson said Pablo Group is also exploring plans to build and operate a restaurant on the site, overlooking the Chippewa River. The restaurant, which would be separate from the hotel, would provide outdoor seating and access to the adjacent Chippewa River Trail. While specifics are still being determined, the restaurant will provide a “casual dining experience,” Johnson said.
“The Sonnentag complex will bring so much life and activity to this beautiful stretch of riverfront,” Johnson said. “It will be the center of a recreation district surrounded by the Hobbs Ice Arena, John and Fay Menard YMCA Tennis Center, and Carson Park. … We are eager to join in the neighborhood.”
Pablo Group has been in conversation with the UWEC Foundation about being involved in the County Materials Center project for several year, Johnson added. The company is no stranger to the hospitality business: Among other things, Pablo Group renovated and reopened The Lismore Hotel in downtown Eau Claire and is involved in the Oxbow Hotel. It also owns and operates several Eau Claire restaurants and coffee shops, as well as apartment buildings and commercial real estate.
“We are very excited about the Pablo Group’s plans for a new hotel and restaurant on Menomonie Street,” said Aaron White, the City of Eau Claire’s economic development manager. “This exciting project will bring new investment and services to an area that is undergoing a tremendous revitalization with the County Materials Complex moving forward.”
The County Materials Complex was made possible by a $70 million donation from UW-Eau Claire alumni John and Carolyn Sonnentag. It will include a Fieldhouse and an Event Center, both named for the Sonentags, as well as a fitness/wellness center and a Mayo Clinic Health System sports medicine clinic.
Construction on the County Materials Complex is expected to start within a few weeks, with a goal of being completed in time to host the university’s spring 2024 commencement, said Kimera Way, president of the UWEC Foundation. The public-private complex has been in the development stages since 2014, when the Sonnentags announced the first part of their donation to the UWEC Foundation. Their donation includes 21 acres between Menomonie Street and the Chippewa River, which has been used by County Materials Corp., their family-owned company. The complex is intended to replace UWEC’s Zorn Arena as well as to provide a venue for large-scale events, entertainment performances, and the like that will benefit the community.
The project is a partnership among Blugold Real Estate, Mayo Clinic Health System-Northwest Wisconsin, the City of Eau Claire, Visit Eau Claire, and the university. A nonprofit corporation, Eau Claire Community Complex Inc., will own and lease the complex.
Current plans call for the complex to include a 172,000-square-foot major event facility with a capacity of up to 5,000. According to the university, “The event facility design is highly versatile and would accommodate multiple types of events and activities, including serving as a home for UW-Eau Claire men’s and women’s basketball games and other athletics tournaments, large indoor concerts, and other entertainment or sports events. UW-Eau Claire students also will benefit from a two-story, much-needed fitness/wellness facility that will alleviate pressure on overutilized and undersized on-campus recreation and sport facilities. The convenient location also is accessible from the Chippewa River Bike Trail that connects to campus and a bus route to ensure access for all students.”
