The coronavirus pandemic has hit the hospitality industry particularly hard, but apparently it hasn’t deterred plans for a new hotel on the Vikings’ upcoming multi-use development in Eagan.

The 14-story Omni Viking Lakes Hotel is slated to open in October 2020. Located adjacent to the Minnesota Vikings’ new training facilities, the hotel will include 320 rooms, along with over 30,000 square feet of meeting space. Other amenities include multiple dining options, a full-service spa, and a fitness center. The hotel, which will be connected to the Viking Lakes trails, is about a 10-minute drive from MSP International Airport.

To be sure, opening a hotel in the middle of the pandemic has its challenges, but developers say they’re finding ways to keep guests and staff safe. In May, Omni Hotels and Resorts launched its Safe and Clean Program that works with St. Paul-based Ecolab to follow CDC guidelines.

The new hotel project is predominately owned by the Wilf family, with minority stakeholders the Davis family, Ecolab, TCO Physicians, and OH&R. The Davis family is known for past ownership of Sun Country Airlines and Cambria. Bell Bank is financing the construction for the hotel. Hotel leaders are also partnering with the Minnesota Vikings football team to provide housing before home games starting Nov. 8 and for future seasons.

Developers say the Viking Lakes Hotel will add more than 100 jobs to the Eagan economy.

It’s too early to tell how the hotel will fare in a pandemic economy, but Director of Sales and Marketing Mike Hubnik is confident that the project will continue to add jobs after opening.