Hotel Retlaw Owners Summarize Plans

The new owners of the Hotel Retlaw in downtown Fond du Lac shared their plans for the hotel with the Fond du Lac City Council Wednesday night. Dennis Doucette says they were very intrigued by the Retlaw project and its location is ideal. They plan to invest $23 million in the hotel and recapture its past glory as an “Affordable Luxury” hotel. Steve Frantz says previous owners took a band aid approach to fixing up the hotel where they plan to give it a major cash infusion. The hotel will employ more than 150 workers with annual wages and benefits of over $3.8 million. Doucette says they trained their workers at the Biltmore in Miami and he believes the local labor market will be even better. Some of the plans include hotel memberships with discounts to the hotel restaurant, a gaming and sports bar next door, a café, luxury spa, executive boardrooms, and the Crystal Ballroom will be restored. They hope to open by next June.