Chief financial officer and treasurer Douglas Neis saysMilwaukee-based Marcus Corp. remains in the early stages ofdeveloping its first urban Baymont Inn & Suites in a downtownarea, having paid $13.4 million for lease rights in March tocontrol the northwest corner of Ontario and Rush streets in theRiver North area. The company still plans on opening in 2003 afterredeveloping a six-story, 191,000-sf building that formerly houseda car dealership and sporting goods store.

Meanwhile, not having an urban property may help the parentMarcus Corp.'s bottom line. "Baymont does not have a lot of urbanand resort locations and its properties along interstate highwaysstand to benefit from the increase in over-the-road travel,"explains chairman Steven H. Marcus.

On the southern edge of Lake Michigan, Harrah's Entertainment,Inc. has opened the first 10 floors of its 15-story, 293-roomproperty in East Chicago, IN. The remaining floors are expected tobe completed in February. Suites are 1,000 sf, or as much as 40%larger than rooms Downtown.