Coralville hotel chain Hawkeye Hotels expanding in northeast U.S.

Hawkeye Hotels, a family-owned hospitality chain based in Coralville, is expanding its footprint in the northeast United States with the purchase of a Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton in Cranberry Township, 20 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Hawkeye Hotels also is developing a 150-room Holiday Inn in Erie, Pa., which is under construction and expected to open in 2020.

'We are excited to explore further opportunities in Pittsburgh and surrounding markets as we continue to grow our development pipeline and hotel portfolio,” said Om Patel, Hawkeye Hotel director of development, in a news release announcing the acquisition. 'We look forward to developing new partnerships in this region.”

The Hampton Inn and Suites in Cranberry Township, which opened less than a year ago, is in one of the fastest-growing areas in the Pittsburgh metro area, which includes Cranberry Commons and Cranberry Woods Office Park that houses the world headquarters for Westinghouse Electric Corp,

Hawkeye Hotels is expanding into the northeast United States after developing, redeveloping and operating dozens of hotels in other regions of the country.

Other properties in various stages of development include the historic Hotel Fort Des Moines in downtown Des Moines, three new hotels within one block of downtown Milwaukee; 14 hotels in the greater Minneapolis area; and two Moxy hotels by Marriott in downtown Omaha and downtown St. Louis.

Hawkeye Hotels owns and operates more than 50 hotels across the country.

The company, launched by Bob and Angie Patel in 1982 with the purchase of a shuttered roadside hotel in Mena, Ark., today employs over 1,500 people across its portfolio of hotels and corporate offices.