Basalt Hospitality LP, a partnership owned by Spokane hoteliers Kent and Cal Clausen and former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, is planning a $1.5 million renovation of its Holiday Inn Express just north of downtown Spokane.

Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane, is expected to begin work in October on a full exterior facelift for the 119-guest room, 50,500-square-foot hotel, at 801 N. Division. Vandervert also will add about 2,200 square feet to the lobby and breakfast area and build a 1,600-square-foot deck to extend over the edge of the tall basalt bluff on which the hotel is located, says Julie Brown, a KVC Development Inc. spokeswoman.

KVC and Sterling Hospitality Management LLC, both of Spokane, are co-owned by the Clausens, brothers who have developed hotels since 1977. KVC develops the properties, which currently include hotels in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Nevada, and Sterling Hospitality operates them.

Brown says Steven Meek Architects PS, of Spokane, designed the Holiday Inn Express downtown renovation, which includes exterior architectural features that give tribute to the style of historic homes in Spokane.

"The design was inspired by the style of the stately homes built in the early years of Spokane," she says.

The addition will triple the hotel's seating area for the morning food service, she adds.

The hotel opened in 1994. In 2009, all of the hotel's guest rooms were renovated to include new wall vinyl, carpet, furniture, mattresses, artwork, lighting, vanities, and televisions, Brown says.

Sterling Hospitality currently operates 12 hotel properties in all, including three in the Spokane area and one in Coeur d'Alene, with annual revenues exceeding $28 million. Its franchise affiliations include Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, and Quality Inn.