An official groundbreaking is planned this week for a new hotel in Downtown Evansville.
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and representatives of Kinship Hospitality will turn dirt Friday morning for the planned Hyatt Place Downtown at 2nd and Chestnut streets.
A news release from the Southwest Indiana Chamber said the hotel represents a more than $18 million investment in the community.
The 5-story hotel will feature 139 rooms, a bar-lounge, an indoor pool, a fitness center, meeting rooms, and an outdoor fire pit.
Construction is expected to take 12-to-15 months from start to finish.
Meantime, work on the former Riverhouse hotel continues at Walnut Street and Riverside Drive. That hotel will be called The Mediterranean, with 76 rooms. The developer has said it will open this year.
The new properties will join the Hilton DoubleTree, Tropicana Evansville, and Le Merigot as hotel options in Downtown Evansville.