Wilderness Resorts Developer Plans 2 Hotels Near Oak Creek IKEA

OAK CREEK, WI — The first significant neighbors to Oak Creek's IKEA campus are on their way after city officials approved a development with Stand Rock Hospitality to construct two hotels starting in 2020.

On Dec. 3 the City of Oak Creek Common Council approved a development agreement with Stand Rock Hospitality for the first project south of the IKEA store. Wisconsin’s first IKEA store opened in May 2018.

Stand Rock Hospitality is known for its Wilderness Resorts in the Wisconsin Dells as well as the Camelback Lodge in The Pocono Mountains.The group recently completed a Hampton Inn and Suites in West Allis, which includes the State Fair Park Conference Center space.

Stand Rock will begin phase one in early spring 2020. The initial build is expected to be around 12 months, with a targeted completion in early summer 2021.

The newly-announced project calls for a two-phase hotel with conference and event center development on about five acres directly south of IKEA. The project’s initial phase is a 121 room Homewood Suites by Hilton along with a 11,500 square foot event space.

The second phase is slated for an additional hotel, a Tru by Hilton flag, that will have an additional 90 to 100 rooms. The sum of the two phases equates to a collective investment of over $30 million, officials say.

“We really saw additional demand for this type of offering in the south shore area; there was a void. Our strategy is to ensure week-long activity to support other food, entertainment, and retail venues, and when you can bring folks in from outside the area during the work week, it can really add to the vibrancy we seek to attract to Oak Creek, especially in the night time hours,” Oak Creek Mayor Dan Bukiewicz said in a news release.