LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Seelbach Hilton in downtown Louisville wants to expand.
The historic hotel filed plans Tuesday to add a new 11-story guest room tower above the existing two-story ballroom addition. The tower is set to include guestrooms at levels two to nine, as well as meeting space on level 10 and a rooftop bar.
“We have a track record of executing comprehensive projects like the Seelbach, and when done, we will deliver a hotel commensurate with the legacy and history of the storied Seelbach,” Musselman Hotels President and CEO Chester Musselman said in a news release.
The Seelbach is a joint venture between Louisville-based Musselman Hotels and Rockbridge Capital.
If the permit for the plan is approved, hotel officials say the renovation and construction will start once plans are finalized and enough capital is raised to finance the project. An approximate cost to build the tower was not provided to WDRB.
The Seelbach was built in 1903 by the Seelbach brothers. The goal was to channel the class and look of hotels in Europe, through the grand staircase in the lobby and the Rathskeller in the basement.
Several motion pictures have been filmed at the hotel, and a number of celebrities and politicians have stayed there, including: Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Will Smith, and the late Robin Williams. A few U.S. Presidents, including George W. Bush, Harry Truman and Bill Clinton have also been guests there.
The Seelbach is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"This will be a transformational project for both the City of Louisville and the State of Kentucky,” Rockbridge CEO Jim Merkel said in a news release. “By re-establishing the iconic nature of this historic hotel, we will shine national attention on Louisville and Kentucky.”
Over the past few years, Louisville has seen several new hotel projects completed and several other major hotels spend millions of dollars on renovations. Tourism officials say the hotel boom Louisville is seeing is the result of more meetings, conventions and visitors coming to town.
"Leisure visitation is up in the market, meetings and conventions are up and so there's more opportunities for those hotels to be successful so they're investing in their product," Cleo Battle, COO of Louisville Tourism said.
Battle says Louisville hotels are working to stay on par with one another by renovating and expanding. It's also an opportunity outshine other competing cities like Nashville and Indianapolis who both have more hotels and rooms to offer.
"These owners of these hotels, you know, they don't do it cause they think it's a great idea," he said. "They see the numbers, they see the occupancy continue to grow in Louisville, they see the rates continue to grow, and they want to be a part of it."
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