Riverside Hospitality files permit for Garden City spa conversion

Riverside Hospitality submitted a remodel application to the City of Garden City on Monday to convert roughly 1,000 square feet of hotel space into a spa. The project targets a small boardroom located on the second floor of the property's east side. Co-owner David Johnson said the addition serves the group's long-term strategy to rebrand the hotel as The Riverside Resort.

The proposed layout includes three massage rooms, each measuring about 100 square feet, plus a dedicated relaxation room. A small lobby area will feature two nail stations. Johnson said the facility will accept appointments from hotel guests and residents in the surrounding community.

The spa will be designed and managed by local entrepreneurs who currently operate spa locations in the Treasure Valley. These partners are licensed estheticians and massage therapists with expertise in skincare and bodywork. Johnson said the collaboration allows the hotel to add new amenities while leveraging the operational experience of established local businesses.

Riverside Hospitality purchased the property in 2011. The building, which dates to 1969 when it opened as the Rodeway Inn, served as the Red Lion Riverside for much of the 1980s and 1990s before becoming the DoubleTree. It is currently the third-largest hotel in Idaho by room count, behind the Sun Valley Resort and the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Since taking ownership, the group has executed a series of capital improvements to the site along the Boise River Greenbelt. Completed projects include a new indoor pool and fitness building, exterior updates, and room renovations. The property also hosts several tenant businesses that replaced older structures. The Telaya Wine Co. building and riverfront patio now occupy what was once a parking lot. Barednay Distilling Co. operates in the former Knapp Auto repair shop on the west side.

The Sandbar outdoor bar and restaurant converted a former exercise room and vacant outdoor space into a venue for live music during warmer months. Ling and Louie’s currently occupies the remodeled space that previously housed Joe’s Crab Shack and the Charthouse Restaurant. Riverside Hospitality is also working with the City of Boise to construct a footbridge. This bridge will connect the area near the College of Western Idaho campus and Bernadine Quinn Park to the Riverside property.

Johnson said the group has focused on updating every part of the property within budget constraints to encourage guests to stay on site. He stated that if the initial spa concept performs well, the hotel may partner with the entrepreneurs to build a larger facility on the resort grounds in the future.