Work set to begin on downtown hotel

Initial site work for a new hotel to be constructed in downtown Whitefish is set to begin this month.

Whitefish Hotel Group, which includes local developers Sean Averill and his brother Brian, plan to build an 86-room hotel at the corner of Spokane Avenue and Second Street.

Whitefish City Council unanimously approved The Empire Hotel project in November.

Last Sunday, the public parking lot at the corner of Spokane and Third Street was officially closed off.

Sean Averill says demolition of the former National Parks Realty office will begin as soon as possible. Actual construction of the hotel, he said, could begin as early as May.

The $10 million three-story hotel will have a footprint of about 15,000 square feet. A parking lot on site will include 74 spaces.