McCook to have special GLo
New 76-room hotel planned for 47th Street
By Steve Metsch
McCook is not only getting a new hotel.
It’s getting a hotel that’s part of a stunning new GLo brand promoted by worldwide hotel giant Best Western.
The new hotel will be built in the business park on 47th Street, just west of First Avenue.
McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski, at the groundbreaking ceremony held Nov. 28, was in good spirits.
“There’s been talk about this for years. Nothing ever happened. Then I talked to Manoj and we got together with Best Western,” Tobolski said of developer Manoj Mahapatra.
There will be 76 guest rooms in the four-story, 41,000-square-foot hotel, complete with an indoor pool, conference rooms, an exercise room and dining area, Mahapatra said.
McCook’s GLo, weather permitting, is expected to open for guests in the autumn of 2019, Mahapatra said.
Suzi Wirtz, president and CEO of the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, said the hotel will provide the area with much-needed lodging for business travelers.
“Now we have some (hotels) on Joliet Road and in Burr Ridge. This will be a viable option for all the businesses. It’s a great location close to the highway,” she said.
Tobolski said “if we want to have convention-type business, they want a hotel within one mile and this will help us out.”
The hotel is being built next to The MAX, a popular indoor athletics building in the village.
McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski (center) with developer Manoj Mahapatra (left) and Best Western CEO and President David Kong are all smiles at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new 76-room hotel being built in the village. Mahapatra’s wife, Manisha, stands behind him. (Photo by Steve Metsch)
David Kong, the CEO and President of Best Western, attended the ground breaking.
Kong said Mahapatra, who owns five hotels including a Best Western near O’Hare, “is recognized in our company as someone who is visionary, strategic and progressive.”
“We’re delighted he’s building a new concept for Best Western,” Kong said.
Tobolski said the new hotel “will be good for the people of this area,” noting that people visiting relatives from out of town, for example, “will have a nice place to stay.”
After posing for photos with shovels and hardhats, Tobolski hosted a gathering village’s new Alta Grill, on the second floor of The MAX, overlooking the hotel site.
When Mahapatra approached him with the hotel idea, Tobolski said “I was optimistic but cautious.”
“I looked at the plans. The trustees looked at the plans, Finally, it’s happening,” Tobolski said. “I think this will add to the synergy in this (business) park.”
“I thank Manoj and his folks. I thank Best Western for believing in us. We have one hotel in McCook. I love the people who run the Skyline Motel, but that’s the only one we have,” Tobolski said of the longtime motel on Joliet Road.
“This is a great day, a bucket item I’m able to cross off as mayor,” Tobolski added.
Kong, who happened to be in town visiting adult children who live in Hinsdale and Western Springs, was impressed by the large turnout of about 50, saying “your support is so important to this project.”
“GLo is an exciting, new brand. It’s one of the fastest growing brands in the industry. If you look at the prototype, you’ll be excited because it’s like nothing you’ve seen.
“The building is stunning because it has an unusual design. It’s so vibrant and colorful. I think you’ll be really impressed and proud of it,” Kong said.
Mahapatra said “an exciting thing about the project is it will attract people on business trips “along with leisurely travelers.”
Interstate Builders is in charge of construction, he said.
Visit www.globestwestern.com for a peek of what’s coming to McCook.
— Desplaines Valley News
Email Steve Metsch at sm4610@sbcglobal.net
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