The Scarlet aims to capture Nebraska in a night’s stay

Craig Chandler | University Communication

Construction on The Scarlet Hotel, a 154-room Marriott Tribute property at Transformation Drive and 21st Street, is quickly progressing.

The hotel being built at Nebraska Innovation Campus will be named The Scarlet, it was revealed during an Aug. 18 event.

The name and brand package for the 154-room Marriott Tribute property was created by Archrival, a Lincoln creative agency.

“While the majority of our work is around the country, we take the greatest pride when there is an opportunity to do a brand that represents our home, Nebraska,” said Clint! Runge, Archrival managing director. “We are thrilled to create a meaningful brand that continues the growth of NIC and further cements Lincoln as a welcome surprise.”

The Scarlet Hotel will be owned, operated and managed privately. The property will include a full-service restaurant, coffee shop, sandwich shop, fitness facility, rooftop bar and additional high-end features to ensure an outstanding guest experience.

Runge described The Scarlet Hotel brand as an experience that captures Nebraska in a night’s stay. While having the amenities of a world-class hotel, guests will feel a sense of hometown comfort, he said. Small-town generosity, spaces for genuine connections and a spirit of a common good are brand pillars. Every guest room will highlight a different Nebraskan, honoring untold stories and diverse individuals who have called this place home. As the only hotel on a University of Nebraska campus, the hotel will offer a premium, playful and common-sense experience totally unique for those visiting Lincoln, Runge said.

“This hotel will be such an asset to Nebraska Innovation Campus,” said Dan Duncan, NIC executive director. “The amenities that it will provide the campus will truly make NIC the place companies, employees and the community will want to be.”

The hotel, on the corner of Transformation Drive and 21st Street, will be owned, operated and managed privately. The property will include a full-service restaurant, coffee shop, sandwich shop, fitness facility, rooftop bar and additional high-end features to ensure an outstanding guest experience.

“We are once again excited to be partnering with the University of Nebraska on the next phase of Nebraska Innovation Campus,” said Zach Wiegert, principal of Goldenrod Companies. “The Scarlet will be the first Marriott Tribute hotel in the Nebraska market, offering guests a new and captivating experience, while also offering a unique learning opportunity for university students.”

Campus and project leaders reveal the name of The Scarlet Hotel as Clint Runge talks during the Aug. 18 event at Nebraska Innovation Campus.

As part of NIC’s mission to create and further partnerships between the University of Nebraska and the private sector, the hotel will be home to academic space managed by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences and will house the Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management program.

“CEHS is committed to extending learning beyond the classroom by providing a variety of out-of-classroom and experiential learning opportunities,” said Sherri Jones, dean of the college. “At The Scarlet, our hospitality, restaurant and tourism management students will be in the real world, close to the action, learning and gaining hands-on experience in a world-class hotel.”

The hotel project brings to Lincoln and Nebraska an innovative public-private partnership that will benefit students, faculty, hotel visitors and the local community. The academic unit housed in the hotel will educate students involved in the hospitality industry, while the hotel brand and feel will attract visitors from near and far. The property will allow for real-life research and improve Nebraska’s reputation as an industry leader in the areas of hospitality, restaurant and tourism.

Students in the HRTM program and related disciplines will have the opportunity to use the hotel as a learning laboratory.

Sydney Long, a senior marketing and hospitality, restaurant and tourism management major, said she is excited about the teaching and research hotel.

“This hotel will impact students,” she said. “It will provide them practical knowledge and professionalism that will help them in future careers. Our classrooms and learning facilities will be enhanced and allow for better student interaction and classroom engagement.”

Having a high-end learning laboratory will provide a competitive advantage for Nebraska graduates in the hospitality industry.

Long noted that the HRTM program currently prepares students for employment after college through class work, required internships and connections with industry leaders. She said she believes the hotel at NIC will assist in creating a customer service-oriented mindset and expand the program’s growth.