CHAMPAIGN — After being in limbo for a few months, downtown's upcoming millennial-focused boutique hotel is officially back on track with a new developer.
The Champaign City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to turn the Best Western Hotel Vib (pronounced "vibe") project over to former Illini basketball player-turned-developer Doug Altenberger. The project's original developer, Chris Keller with Grasshopper Hospitality LLC, couldn't produce necessary documentation to prove he could pay for the hotel, slated for the currently vacant lot at 401 N. Neil St.
Construction on the hotel was supposed to start in January, after the city council approved the project last September.