Hotel on Phillips offers boutique feel and piece of Sioux Falls history

Walking into downtown Sioux Falls' newest hotel feels like strolling into a bank from the early half of the 20th century.

That was the goal for Hotel on Phillips, which opened Thursday in the old Great Western Bank building at 100 N. Phillips Ave. 

"We wanted to bring it back to the grandeur that it originally had," said Brenda Schmidt, CEO of Kelly Inns Ltd., the company that owns and operates the hotel.

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The nine-story building has been fully realized during the course of two years of planning and construction. Staff were busy preparing to welcome guests to its carefully restored lobby, boasting massive windows and intricately decorated ceilings, which still bear the original 101-year-old chandeliers.

With a wide range of designs for its boutique rooms, Hotel on Phillips offers the best of both old and new, blending cutting edge tech with a design that feels luxurious, unique and historic.

The lobby is a statement piece unlike anything else in Sioux Falls, carefully planned around Great Western's original 16-ton vault, which served as the focal point for designing the rest of the room.

Planned in a collaborative effort between Kelly, Perspective Inc. architects and Commercial Interior Decor of Sioux Falls, Hotel on Phillips' first impression to guests will be grand.

With large format tile floors, teller windows along the Coffea-run coffee stand and Greek Key flair on the furniture, designers brought the feel of the old bank back to life, all surrounding the vault, which will be re-purposed as a path to The Treasury cocktail lounge, which opened in July.

The hotel has already been well received, Schmidt said, with reservations booked out as late as next year.

Rooms are designed with 15 different styles, including two singularly designed suites overlooking the Big Sioux River from the buildings's top two floors: the Gold Bar Suite and the River View Suite.

"That is the exciting part of being a boutique hotel," Schmidt said. "Because we're an independent hotel we could do different designs."

Rooms are also outfitted with Amazon Echos, with an Alexa service capable of everything from adjusting the thermostat to recommending a place for lunch.

Kelly bought the old Great Western building and transformed it into Hotel on Phillips as a reflection of the company's Sioux Falls roots and to also offer another alternative for visitors, Schmidt said.

"There's an industry trend of boutique hotels," she said. "Guests are looking for unique experiences and to stay in the heart of cities."

According to their website, prices for one room range from $199-$229, while suites start at $229 for the Peacock Suite" to $499 for the "Bank Roll Riverbank Suite". Those prices don't include taxes and fees.