SentryWorld in Wisconsin to Build On-Course Hotel By Brian Weis

SentryWorld in Wisconsin to Build On-Course Hotel

Sentry Insurance to build an on-course, boutique hotel atSentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis.

By Brian Weis

In the wake of hosting a successful USGA championship, Sentry today announced plans to build a boutique hotel at SentryWorld, its premier destination golf course located across the street from the mutual insurer's Stevens Point headquarters. The charming, upscale hotel will serve the company's business clientele, golfers and visitors to the community. It's scheduled to open in the spring of 2021.

The hotel will be built just off the championship golf course's 18th fairway, providing beautiful views of the course and its peaceful parkland setting. The hotel will feature spacious suites and intimate gathering spaces, ideal for weddings and corporate retreats. Guests can expect an authentic, Wisconsin-style hospitality experience that Sentry will oversee from start to finish.

"Sentry thrives on building relationships and delivering exceptional customer service," said Pete McPartland, Sentry chairman of the board, president and CEO. "Owning and operating a boutique hotel on our campus will allow us to provide our business insurance customers, agents and brokers a truly distinctive experience. And, it will offer visitors to SentryWorld, and our community, extraordinary comfort and amenities during their stay."

Positioned near the entrance to Stevens Point in the heart of Wisconsin, the hotel will offer unrivaled accommodations and event spaces.

"The Stevens Point area has a wide variety of accommodations for visitors. Adding a luxury hotel to the mix will serve those seeking that one-of-a-kind experience," said Sara Brish, executive director of the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Being located at SentryWorld, with its beautiful, high-quality event spaces, will help attract more weddings, corporate retreats and tradeshows to our community."

The SentryWorld complex, located within steps of the planned hotel, offers unique event spaces, including an Atrium, Grand Hall and Fieldhouse, to host bigger weddings and conferences. SentryWorld also provides professional event-planning and catering services, plus a restaurant and bar, Bridal Salon and Pergola for outdoor weddings.

Swaback Architects, which designed the reimagined SentryWorld complex in 2013, will design the hotel.

"Our vision with the hotel is to follow the contemporary lines of SentryWorld with a blend of stone, heavy timbers and plenty of grandeur that will make the property enjoyable year-round," said John Sather, Swaback managing partner. "The room views will be absolutely stunning. And the hotel will have an active vibe, as we look to connect the indoors to the outdoors and make good use of the adjacent 27-mile recreational trail."

"Instead of a typical lobby, picture a gathering room that will welcome guests home-that's what we're envisioning with this new hotel," added Sather. "By adding lodging to all the other activities, including dining and golf, SentryWorld really becomes an event and recreation destination like no other in central Wisconsin."

J.H. Findorff & Son, which built the new Sentry office last year in Stevens Point, will oversee construction. Sentry will break ground on the project by the spring of 2020.

SentryWorld has a long-established reputation for being one of the country's top public golf courses-the hotel will help enhance that reputation and attract even more golfers.

"During the recent U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, SentryWorld proved it's worthy of hosting additional high-profile events," said Mike James, SentryWorld general manager. "Offing an on-course, luxury hotel will help drive that endeavor. And, it will further elevate SentryWorld's status as being a top destination for golf vacations and weddings."

Revised: 10/08/2019 - Article Viewed 53,981 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.