President Jordan, Sr. VP of Operations for Sage Hospitality Brad Robinette, and Assistant Professor of Hotel Administration Chad Gruhl toast partnership.

Metro State President Stephen Jordan took advantage of the College’s role as host for the 5^th Annual Denver Food & Wine Classic, Sept. 10-12, to announce the construction and development team for the planned Hotel and Hotel Learning Center (HLC).

Brad A. Robinette, senior vice president of operations for Sage Hospitality, which will be the hotel manager, joined Jordan and Assistant Professor of Hotel Administration Chad Gruhl to make the announcement at the classic’s opening public event on Historic Ninth St. Park. A crowd of approximately 300 reacted “very positively” to the announcement, Gruhl said.

The HLC will be a fully functioning, flagged hotel and the learning center will be academic space with classrooms and specialty learning labs for the students and faculty of the Hospitality, Tourism and Events Department.

“We’re very excited in the [HTE] department,” Gruhl said. “This is not only a benefit to our program, but to Metro State as a whole and the entire Auraria Campus.”