Area couple hopes their experience in Faribault will be good marriage with The Broz

They are hoping to bring the experience and success enjoyed at two event venues in Faribault to New Prague. Will it work? Ryan and Jenny Ernster, the new-owners-to-be of The Broz Hotel are confident they can do it.

The Ernsters are purchasing the historic hotel on the Le Sueur County side of West Main Street in downtown New Prague. They plan to change its name The Broz Event Venue to separate it from the names used by previous owners. They recently acquired the building from an Eden Prairie investor renting it to the Davis family. Once they receive the approvals needed to run the business from Le Sueur County and the city, the Ernsters plan to reopen the facility for weddings, reunions and other events. There are contracts signed with the previous owners to be honored, Ryan Ernster said, before the couple can begin running the events they will schedule.

The Ernsters, who live in Prior Lake, own and operate two wedding and event centers in Faribault – The 3 Ten Event Venue and The 3 Ten Rooftop Loft are new urban and vintage chic event venues, according to their social media profiles. Thanks to the proximity of Interstate Highway 35, they run about 100 events through the two venues in Faribault, attracting mostly people from outside Faribault. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2025, their hope is they can eventually build The Broz Event Venue to host as many as 50 events a year, Ryan Ernster said.

The Broz Event Venue will provide clients beverage service, security and an event coordinator. Clients can bring in a catering service and staff of their choice, he said. As for employees, the Ernsters hope to hire locally. They plan to advertise the facility via social media and in bridal and wedding publications.

The couple plans to finish work on preparing the remaining seven unfinished rooms at the hotel. That work will likely be completed later this summer, making it likely the historic hotel will be ready for overnight lodging associated with packaged events they host later this summer or early autumn. Ryan Ernster anticipated the outlay to complete the rooms will be about $75,000. The hotel has one bridal suite available.

“It’s not a huge undertaking. It’s a lot of shopping, paying for delivery and setup,” he said. “We hope to have it done in the next 30 days or so.”

Having owned and operated their own event venue businesses since 2016 and 2019, Ryan Ernster saw The Broz listed occasionally over the past few years. The history and style of the facility appeals to the couple. They are planning a soft opening later this spring.

The building is marketed as...

To see more on this story pick up the March 20, 2025 print edition of The New Prague Times.