A new boutique hotel plans to open in about a month on Kirkwood Ave. at the former site of the People’s State Bank. Attached to the hotel will be a second Gables Bagels location.
The POSH Boutique Hotel at the corner of Washington St. and Kirkwood Ave. will feature 45 rooms and several amenities, including a sauna, terraces and a meeting space named the Cignetti club room, after the IU football coach. The high-end hotel will also have light fixtures inspired by different pieces of jewelry.
Owner Elliot Lewis has wanted to open a hotel as a legacy project for his family for years. There is also demand for another hotel in Bloomington, he said, with events like football games and graduation weekend.
“Parents struggle to find a place to stay,” he said. “People stay anywhere between 50 and 75 miles away at hotels to be able to come to Bloomington to be able to witness their kids graduate. So, there is a big need there.”
Lewis said there will be bikes that guests can use and birthday cake available in the lobby every day at 6 p.m.
“It could be that we're celebrating a birthday of a guest, or maybe the guest is away from his or her family,” he said. “They'll be able to take a selfie and celebrate with their loved one.”
He got the idea of naming the hotel POSH from his late uncle, who was a dentist in the Navy.
“It stands for portside, outbound, starboard, homebound,” Lewis said. “The term ‘posh’ comes from over 100 years ago when people with means sailed from England to India and they wanted their berth on the ship to always face land, hence portside, outbound, starboard, homebound.”
Lewis said the hotel would’ve been open by now had it not been for the tariffs President Donald Trump implemented earlier this year. Many light fixtures and pieces of furniture were made in China, which faced 50 percent tariffs on steel, aluminum and some household appliances. Lewis still hopes to open by Sept. 15.
“The biggest setback is just in revenue,” he said. “We would have been open for all the orientation, for move in and for the first few games for IU football.”
Right next door to the hotel will be Gables Bagels, whose breakfast will be complimentary for hotel guests.
Gables Bagels Expanding
Ed Schwartzman, owner of Gables Bagels, said business demand allowed him to open a second location. Long lines out the door at the Third. St. location caused him to lose customers who didn’t want to wait.
“They love the design, but it's a little shoe box,” he said. “This one with the high ceilings and the fancy lights is definitely a step up, a big step up in class, but same great food.”
The second location will feature new drinks not available at the other location. Schwartzman is waiting for approval from the fire and health departments and hopes to be open by Aug. 21.
