Schaumburg, Ill.-based Wight Realty Group’s plans to redevelop the Hillmoor Golf Club in Lake Geneva could include a 100-room Hyatt Summerset Suites hotel.
Wight’s redevelopment plans include totally rebuilding the golf course, 32 townhouses, up to 242 single family home sites, the hotel, a 17,000-square-foot banquet hall connected to the hotel and 16,000 square feet of retail space along Highway 50.
Wight Realty Group has not finalized a commitment from an operator for the hotel, but the Hyatt Summerset appears likely, said Mike Assad, one of the owners of Wight.
"Hyatt has expressed a very strong interest," Assad said. Summerset Suites is a brand of extended stay hotels for Chicago-based Global Hyatt Corp. "It’s like an upscale Residence Inn," Assad said. There are 19 Hyatt Summerset Suites locations, most are on the coasts and none are in Wisconsin.
The first phase of Wight’s redevelopment project is expected to begin later this year. The golf course portion of the project is being designed and built by Marengo, Ill.-based Lohmann Golf Designs. The 18 hole course will be changed from a par 72 layout to a par 64 layout with 10 par 3 holes, six par 4 holes and two par 5 holes.
The redesign of the golf course is an attempt to make the 84-year-old course competitive with the dozens of newer golf courses within a short drive of Lake Geneva, Assad said., "By having a shorter course you can play a round (of 18) in 3 to 3 ½ hours," Assad said.
The new course will also be more aesthetically appealing. All of the holes will be either totally rebuilt or redesigned. "We told Lohmann we want any of the holes to be capable of being plucked out of here and placed in Augusta (National, home of The Masters in Augusta, Ga.)," Assad said. "We are changing or modifying or eliminating every hole. There isn’t one that won’t be touched."
The home sites in the development are being sold to builders and the site for the retail building is being sold to Deerfield, Ill.-based SJS Realty Services Inc., which will build a multi-tenant retail building there. Wight also plans to improve Highway 50 in front of the property, adding several turn lanes.
