Wausau Pilot & Review
Editor’s note: This sponsored weekly feature shares the stories of locally-owned and operated businesses and organizations in the Wausau area, highlighting the products and services they offer and the ways they contribute to the metro area’s unique flavor. Learn how to feature your business by emailing [email protected].
This week’s featured Wausau-area business has already transformed apartment living in the metro area. Now, its Rothschild location is opening a 60,000-square-foot entertainment and events center for the greater Wausau area plus oversized hotel rooms.
Founder Austin Lokre said his company, bantr, is already using 20,000 square feet of space to bring popular music acts and events to the region. Lokre said bantr is tripling its entertainment space footprint in the near future, paving the way for even more major events that will not only serve metro residents, but also bring visitors from out of the area to contribute to Marathon County’s tourism economy.
bantr will give 100 free tickets to patrons to attend two upcoming paid events. These tickets are first come first serve. Use code “Pilot” at checkout on Eventbrite for 80s Prom with The Glam Band this Saturday March 23rd or bantr Beach with Boogie and the Yo Yoz April 13th.
Lokre said the expanded space will accommodate upwards of 5,000 guests for concerts, weddings and private parties, public speaking engagements, comedy performances, roller skating, pool parties, corporate gatherings and more.
“We’d like to use this as a way to create lasting memories and fun for the community, but also attract more people from all over the Midwest to visit our area,” Lokre said.
In Rothschild, bantr has already made a mark after transforming the former Grand Lodge Waterpark Resort, 805 Creske Ave., into a new hotel concept with a state of the art gym, pool hot tub, bar/ restaurant and events venue. Guests can stay in fully furnished rooms or apartments nightly, monthly, or yearly. Furnished apartments include full kitchens, utilities, WiFi, cable, parking, laundry, weekly cleaning and more. An oversized gym with Matrix equipment and yoga studio is also featured. An on-site bar with old-school arcade games offers regular entertainment including stand-up comedy and musical performances. The property has a gorgeous courtyard and has comfortable, tasteful decor.
The project was borne out of a passion for people and a desire to form human connections in the hospitality and housing industry.
Lokre spent his 20s living in apartment buildings in New York City, where he says he found it strange that few people knew their neighbors and there were no opportunities to meet and interact. Lokre believed the multifamily industry was archaic compared to other industries he had worked in and decided to create a company focused on humanizing the apartment living experience.
His father, Rolly Lokre, spent his entire life in real estate development, Austin said, and he too believed that the time for human-centric change in the hospitality and housing industry had come. Together, the father-son duo pursued creating the company from the ground up.
“bantr was created by asking how we can humanize the archaic apartment development and rental business,” Austin said.
Below, Austin shares his thoughts about bantr and his vision for the future as plans continue to progress.
Tell me about the decision to create such a large event space at your Rothschild location? What gap did you see in the community that you’re trying to fill?
Providing more options to the community for entertainment and fun! I’ve been told so many times people would like more things to do in this area. We’re also going to put a roller rink / disco in the space. Additionally, we’ll host weddings and other specialty events. We want to bring the fun and entertainment people crave, but do it in a way that is sustainable and can appeal to a broader demographic.
What kinds of events do you have planned so far?
In the space that’s already open, our upcoming events include an 80s prom with a glam band this Saturday March 23rd. Then on April 13, we’re hosting bantr Beach with Boogie and the Yo Yoz. We also are excited to have dueling pianos almost every month for the rest of this year and will be opening a comedy club in the near future. This is just a small sampling of what’s to come. You can bookmark our website under the “entertainment” tab to keep up to date on what’s going on. There’s also a space at the bottom of that page to submit an inquiry if you wish to host an entertainment event at bantr.
As mentioned above, bantr will give 100 free tickets to patrons to attend two upcoming paid events. These tickets are first come first serve. Use code “Pilot” at checkout on Eventbrite for 80s Prom with The Glam Band this Saturday March 23rd or bantr Beach with Boogie and the Yo Yoz April 13th.
What has the reaction from the community been like?
People are supportive of there being new places to bring their friends and family for a good time! We’re excited to bring a new entertainment venue to Wausau. So far, we’ve had a lot of fun hosting live comedy, music, karaoke, and trivia at our Rothschild bar every week. During the summer and fall, we will host a couple of large parties for the whole community in our beautiful courtyard.
What makes the Wausau area ideal for bantr? Why did you choose this community for your apartments?
My Dad and I were both born in Wausau. He started developing here when he was 20 years old and is still active in the community today. We believe bantr can become a national hospitality brand and wanted to start the business where it all started.
What makes bantr different from other companies in your industry? What sets you apart?
We offer people complete flexibility and convenience. Guests can stay nightly, monthly, or yearly across our properties. In most of our units, utilities, wifi, and furniture are all provided, so all you have to do is show up with a suitcase. Additionally, we combine gyms, pools, co working spaces, restaurants, entertainment and events all within our network of buildings to create the most useful and human living environments. We focus on amenities that provide the most value to our guests.
Are all the apartments furnished, and how long are the lease options?
We offer renters complete flexibility and optionality by allowing them to select from furnished or unfurnished studios, one, two, and three-bedroom units. Plus, they can choose the lease length that makes more sense for them, from 1-12 months. At our Rothschild location we also have nightly hotel stays.
What else would you like us to know? It all sounds great.
Our properties in Weston, Neenah, and Chilton focus on providing more cost-effective living options while still creating great experiences for our renters. We believe cost-effective housing is the most important problem to help solve in our industry, and we are dedicated to doing everything we can in the years to come.
