Mount Prospect to get Bar Louie, Holiday Inn

Hoping to cash in on Randhurst's renovation, investors plan to open a new Holiday Inn and Bar Louie nearby in Mount Prospect.

The village board unanimously approved liquor licenses for the restaurant and the hotel's banquet hall Tuesday.

"That area has been an eyesore for way too long," Trustee Paul Hoefert said. "I hope you guys know what you're doing. Bar Louie will be a nice addition to Mount Prospect."

Trustee Arlene Juracek said the two businesses will help "rehabilitate the aura of that area."

Bar Louie will open at 200 E. Rand Road in late September or early October, the restaurant General Manager Dan Henry said.

Because of hang-ups getting state approve for the hotel's pool, there is no opening date set yet for it, said Jayal Amin, a Schaumburg lawyer representing the hotel's investor.

"They have been working on the site for the past nine months," Amin said. "The demographics and Randhurst's renovation are perfect for this type of development."

According to Amin, the site has been vacant for years but used to house another Holiday Inn and a Ramada Inn in the past.

Bar Louie will feature flat screen televisions, 40 beers on tap and food including oversized sandwiches and pasta, Henry said. There will be seating for 185 people indoors and between 30 and 40 on an outdoor patio, he said.

The hotel will have 139 rooms including two banquet rooms that could hold 200 people, Amin said.

The $200 million project to rebuild Randhurst started almost two years ago when crews ripped down the outer portion of the mall after working for months gutting the inside, which once housed about 80 shops. The main anchor stores remain open.

The new Randhurst Village will include a theater, hotel, restaurant and retail and office spaces. The plan also calls for a number of restaurants and 25 smaller buildings scattered around the site.

Sports Authority, Jersey Mike's, Five Guys, Chipotle Mexican Grill and T-Mobile already have opened at the site. The project should be complete in the spring of 2011.

Licenses: New hotel to have 139 rooms