Gurnee board approves three $50,000 transformational grants for local hotels

GURNEE, Ill. — The Village of Gurnee on June 2 approved three transformational awards of $50,000 each to three local hotels — Hampton Inn (5550 Grand Avenue), La Quinta Inn & Suites (5688 Northridge Drive) and Super 8 Gurnee (5520 Grand Avenue) — as part of the Small Business Capital Investment Grant Program.

The grants were recommended by the program selection committee and approved by unanimous votes on separate ordinances. Matt Trujillo, the village’s Community Engagement Coordinator, told the board the transformational award stream is a 1:1 matching grant intended for projects larger than $100,000; each recipient will receive the $50,000 payment on project completion and has up to 18 months to finish work.

The grants target distinct improvements. The Hampton Inn application requested $177,800 to mill and repave its parking lot; Gurnee staff said the project would be a milling-and-repave rather than a surface treatment and is intended to improve guest and adjacent-business access at a busy entrance. The La Quinta project seeks $450,000 in exterior and facade renovation work (stucco replacement, large-format tile, updated lighting and new channel-letter signage); staff said interior lobby work will occur first, with exterior work scheduled for spring 2026. The Super 8 proposal includes a roughly $195,000 budget covering a full roof replacement, new PTAC units in 80 rooms and a redesigned front entrance with automatic double doors to provide an ADA-compliant entry.

Trujillo told the board the selection committee reviewed eight transformational applications this cycle and recommended three because an earlier approved project (a proposed soccer facility) withdrew. He also said Gurnee’s 11 hotels (excluding Great Wolf Lodge) produced about $806,000 in hotel tax in 2024, a factor that the committee considered when prioritizing investments.

The board passed the three related ordinances by separate unanimous roll-call votes: the Hampton Inn grant (Ordinance 2025-44; motion by Trustee Garner, second by Trustee Thorsonson), the La Quinta grant (Ordinance 2025-405; motion by Trustee Balmus, second by Trustee Ross) and the Super 8 grant (Ordinance 2025-46; motion by Trustee Garner, second by Trustee Woodside). Each ordinance authorizes a grant agreement with the applicant and requires the businesses to complete work within the program’s 18-month completion window.

The village has operated two matching grant lines: the Impact Grant (originally max $10,000 but expanded to $20,000 per site) and the transformational grant stream (two $50,000 awards typically per year). Trujillo said the program has completed four fiscal years and, with the awards approved June 2, total transformational funding awarded to date will reach $400,000. Trujillo also summarized other recent completed projects funded through the program, including interior and refrigeration upgrades at local restaurants and fitness-center expansions.

Trustees who spoke in support said the grants help maintain property values and guest impressions that drive tax revenue. Trustee Karen Thorsonson said the village’s reinvestment approach is important because “if you drive into a parking lot and it’s a mess, you haven’t even opened the door to your room to find out how great it is.”

The selected hotel owners must document project completion to receive the village contribution; village staff will coordinate permitting and compliance through Community Development.

The board approved the grants during its regular meeting after Trujillo’s presentation and a selection-committee recommendation.