- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Real Estate
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is expanding its hospitality portfolio with the purchase of a 16-room motel in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., with plans to continue use of the building as a revenue driver for the tribe.
The Guest House Motel has stood for 37 years, and Sault Tribe president Austin Lowes has no plans to change course for the building, he told Tribal Business News.
“There's a shortage of housing in Sault Ste. Marie. There's mainly a lot of different projects that are bringing workers to this area,” Lowes said. “We are going to operate it as fair-market housing for medical professionals and other professionals in the area including tribal members.”
The tribe had been eyeing the purchase for roughly three months prior to its completion. The motel’s former owners, Julie and Joe Wiater, told SooLeader.com that they thought the Sault Tribe would be the best caretakers of the property going forward. Finding a purchaser that would continue operating the Guest House as interim housing for local workers and professionals was crucial, Julie said.
“We did want to make sure that the buyer would continue to meet the community’s needs, and we think the tribe will do that,” she said. “We close this chapter hoping our work has served our community, our visitors, and that we are remembered as good ambassadors.”
The acquisition of the Guest House follows the tribe’s 2023 purchase of the Seven Seas Motel in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. Both properties will serve as workforce housing, Lowes said.
“We want to be good partners with the city,” Lowes said. “We all have to live in this community and we should all be good neighbors with each other.”
The tribe plans to continue investing in local properties, Lowes said.
“It's been pretty successful so far as a way to diversify our revenue stream. There's an unmet need in our community, and we’re meeting it,” Lowes said. “We're going to continue to buy properties that can make money and go on to pay for services for our members.”
The motel purchases continue the tribe’s recent expansion of property holdings. In Marquette, about 170 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie, the tribe purchased a 16,000-square foot former U.S. Army Reserve building and the former Southgate Center, according to a July report in The Mining Journal.
Last year, the tribe began developing a comprehensive property strategy, issuing a request for proposals to analyze its land holdings, identify potential development opportunities, and create land use plans for tribal properties across its seven-county service area.
Brian Edwards provided additional reporting.
