DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek

In October 2024, the City of Battle Creek celebrated the grand opening of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, a $75 million project to replace the former McCamly Plaza Hotel downtown. Battle Creek Unlimited, under the entity 50 Capital Ave. Development Corporation, redeveloped the vacant, 15-story hotel – one of the largest buildings in Downtown Battle Creek – to create a vibrant asset that once again draws visitors downtown.

The DoubleTree by Hilton features a restaurant, green space and outdoor areas accessible to both guests and the public, encouraging pedestrian traffic between the hotel and surrounding business district. The hotel is also connected to Kellogg Arena, a 6,500-seat concert and event venue.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) supported the redevelopment with a $7.5 million Michigan Community Revitalization Program (MCRP) performance-based loan participation award, approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund in June 2022.

Today, the DoubleTree by Hilton represents the wave of redevelopment and economic activity happening in Battle Creek.

One Battle Creek Project After Another

“Downtown Battle Creek is in the midst of a revitalization, and we have a lot of properties that have been redeveloped,” said Joe Sobieralski, president and CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited. “The iconic McCamly Plaza Hotel, which was a 200,000-square-foot full-service hotel, had really fallen by the wayside and needed some love. Our organization took over the hotel via 50 Capital Ave. Development Corporation, which is a for-profit entity that we developed to manage the hotel. It became a full-on renovation down to the studs, and today it is basically a brand-new hotel.”

Due to the expense of redeveloping the vacant McCamly Plaza Hotel, particularly during the height of the pandemic, the project relied on support from the MEDC and local partners to be completed.

“The MEDC’s MCRP program played a critical role in helping us close that gap from where the property could support to the level of investment that it needed,” said Sobieralski. “It was a substantial award, and the project wouldn't have come to fruition without it.”

In addition to the MEDC, partners in the transformation included the City of Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Calhoun County Visitor Bureau, Kellogg Company, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Miller Foundation, Consumer Energy Foundation and Battle Creek Bronson Hospital.

“The [MCRP] award also helped bring some unused space that was outdated back online and provide different amenities that are more outward facing,” said John Hughes, economic development specialist with Battle Creek Unlimited. “There was a lot of unused commercial space that was demolished and then built back as pre-function space and usable outside space, so that was a key benefit as well.”

When the redevelopment was completed, the formerly independent hotel was rebranded as the DoubleTree by Hilton. Sobieralski says the mix of business in the Battle Creek market made it a good fit for the DoubleTree brand.

Learning the Hospitality Business

In developing the DoubleTree by Hilton, Battle Creek Unlimited received funding support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, with a focus on educational opportunities at the new hotel. The SUITE Collaborative, a community partnership that offers tools, resources and opportunities within the hospitality industry, began in October 2023.

Exclusively available at DoubleTree by Hilton Battle Creek, the SUITE Collective was developed as a collaborative partnership between Battle Creek Unlimited, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and other partner organizations to provide hands-on experience to students in high school and college, as well as adults looking to make a career change.

“The hotel has been branded as a teaching hotel with a classroom, and it is intended to partner with the local school districts for exposure into hospitality,” said Sobieralski. “Kellogg Community College and the Calhoun County Career Center have tailored some programs around the hospitality industry, and now we have the presence of Grand Valley State University in our community. It's creating exposure to the workforce and the hospitality industry at the youth level all the way to the graduate level with those partners. The hospitality industry really provides a lot of upward mobility as a career pathway in its simplest form.”

According to Tim Staffen, assistant superintendent of career and technical education for the Calhoun Intermediate School District, between 50 and 60 students participated in the DoubleTree’s teaching component for the 2024-25 school year.

With an aim to create a robust pipeline of skilled talent in one of the top industries in the state, the SUITE Collective at the DoubleTree by Hilton is contributing to job opportunities and the quality of life for members of the Battle Creek community.

A Bird’s Eye View of Battle Creek’s Revitalization

The DoubleTree by Hilton project builds on other redevelopment efforts in downtown Battle Creek, including the nearby iconic Heritage Tower’s transformation into The Milton.

“You can see the momentum building; we see it every day, but when you talk to outsiders that come in, it's really the hotel that is a showpiece for our community,” said Sobieralski. “People can see the vision of the revitalization now firsthand when they go to the hotel. They can see, ‘Wow, there's things going on here in Battle Creek.’ You can go to the top of the hotel in the cocktail lounge and take visitors or potential investors and point out all the projects that we have done in Downtown Battle Creek. Its proximity to downtown provides a bird's eye view of the revitalization taking place firsthand.”

Learn how the MEDC is supporting the vibrancy of communities like Battle Creek.