By REYNA REVELLE
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Big changes are on the horizon for Westfield as one of South Korea’s most prominent hotel developers looks to invest a remarkable $50 million in the Hamilton County city.
Republican Mayor Scott Willis is optimistic that the new South Korean luxury hotel planned for Westfield will attract more corporate headquarters and bring sports enthusiasts to Grand Park Sports Campus and similar facilities.
Willis
“It’s a different hotel than what we’ve seen. This is more of a higher-end hotel. They have one currently in Chicago. This will be the second site they will build here in America. The one in Chicago is a 4.5-star hotel,” Willis said.
Located off U.S. 31 and 161st Street, the five-story hotel will have 228 upscale rooms and a 10,000-square-foot restaurant. The goal is that the hotel will seamlessly fit Westfield’s scenic lifestyle and be accessible to the Monon Trail.
“It’s a higher-end product, not necessarily geared toward Grand Park, but more toward the business side and for transient folks working temporarily in Westfield. So, we’re excited about it,” the mayor said.
The hotel site was initially planned in 2007 for retail development, but plans shifted in 2021 to luxury accommodations, highlighting Westfield’s ambition to revitalize its economy. The hotel will have amenities including meeting spaces to help attract more business to Westfield.
“As Samsung started taking off in Kokomo, we started seeing more of their employees either staying temporarily on contract or settling here in Westfield to make it home from Korea. It probably has to do with our school districts, and it’s a great place to live and raise kids,” Willis said.
Westfield city government aims to establish international ties with South Korea through a Sister Cities program. Willis and key city officials will travel to South Korea in March. Talks will focus on a cultural exchange to enhance education, tourism, and economic growth.
The mayor said, “We are starting to get a lot of interest from Korea in Westfield thanks to many investments in Kokomo with Samsung. A city there is considered the ‘sports city’ for them, with many sport-type businesses and opportunities that mirror not quite like Grand Park but the same type of synergy. Westfield is a bedroom community; we’re trying to change that landscape. We’re courting several corporate headquarters right now and showing we can have a hotel like this.”
WISHTV.com first reported about the hotel earlier this week.
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/politics/south-korea-hotel-westfield-indiana-mayor-interview.
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