Glen Ellyn Crowne Plaza to open Aug. 1

Glen Ellyn's new Crowne Plaza Hotel, closed more than a year ago as a Holiday Inn, is scheduled for an August opening.

The former Holiday Inn, at 1250 Roosevelt Road, has been closed since January 2007.

Both Holiday Inn and the higher-end Crowne Plaza Hotel are brands of the InterContinental Hotels Group.

The facility was scheduled to open last summer, but General Manager Trenner Meuret said a rough winter, attaining special permits and deciding between different design concepts stalled the project.

Finally, leaders picked a concept that features a lot of "green" technology, including energy-efficient windows and florescent lighting throughout the building and LED lighting in the ballroom. There also will be a strong emphasis for hotel staff and visitors to be environmentally friendly.

Meuret said the building has kept its original footprint. However, there's a 9,400-square-foot banquet space, 119 rooms with nine suites, a modern fitness center and Glen Prairie Fine Food and Drink, a restaurant open to guests and the community, which offers many organic dishes. The pool also is now indoors, but officials don't know yet if pool permits for area residents will be made available.

About 50 employees will be hired to work at the new facility.

"The whole staff is just really psyched," Meuret said. "It's very warm and comfortable and patterned after the feeling of the Midwest."

Meuret said the grand opening, set for Aug. 1, is definite.

"You certainly will know you're not in the same building because everything that was inside the building was ripped out," he said. "Everything inside has been revamped and replaced."

Meuret said officials wanted to really make a difference with the building, which they think is stunning.

"It's beautiful, incredible," he said. "It's definitely a welcome edition for Glen Ellyn; it fits the neighborhood and it's very thoughtful."