ORLANDO, FLA. — Dart Interests has unveiled plans to redevelop Villas at Grand Cypress in Orlando into a massive vacation rental resort and hotel project named Evermore Orlando Resort. The 1,100-acre resort is adjacent to Walt Disney World. At full buildout in 2023, the 10,000-bedroom project will represent an equity investment in excess of $1 billion. Evermore’s first phase will include nearly 1,500 rooms spread across single-family rental homes, villas, flats and hotel guestrooms. Plans call for 69 houses ranging in size from five to 11 bedrooms. “Dart is introducing an entirely new hospitality category that will change the landscape of vacation rental homes,” says Christopher Kelsey, president of Dart. “We are creating the first-ever wholly owned, large-scale community of purpose-built vacation rental homes and operating them with hotel-quality standards.” According to Kelsey, Dart’s approach to this project solves the main problem for vacation renters — uncertainty in the quality of the home. The centralized ownership model ensures the same quality for each residence, as opposed to most other vacation homes that are owned by individuals. In addition to vacation homes, the complex will also include 76 four-bedroom flats, 41 two- and four-bedroom villas and a Conrad hotel, which is …
Hospitality
RICHARDSON, TEXAS —3D Development Partners, which has offices in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas, will build a 123-room hotel in the northeastern Dallas suburb of Richardson that will be operated under the Element by Westin brand. The hotel’s suites will feature full kitchens and spa-inspired bathrooms. Amenities will include a fitness center, pool and bike rental program. 3D Development is partnering with Missouri-based management firm Midas Hospitality on the project, which is expected to open this summer.
SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS — Florida-based investment firm Driftwood Capital has acquired Hilton Dallas Southlake Town Square, a 248-room hotel located near DFW International Airport in Southlake. Built in 2007, the five-story hotel offers amenities such as an outdoor pool, fitness center, an onsite restaurant and 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The new ownership plans to invest $5 million in capital improvements over the next 12 months.
ORLANDO, FLA. — HG Management affiliate 51 Columbia Hotel Property LLC has opened TownPlace Suites by Marriott, a 110-room hotel in Orlando’s South Orange district. The hotel offers studio and one-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, flat-screen TVs and work areas. Hotel amenities include a pool, 24-hour fitness center, meeting room, laundry facilities, Wi-Fi and a business center. The asset is situated at 51 Columbia St., one mile south of downtown Orlando. Naples, Fla.-based Naples Hotel Group will manage the property.
Marcus & Millichap Negotiates $30.3M Sale of Holiday Inn Resort in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
by Alex Tostado
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $30.3 million sale of a Holiday Inn Resort in Wrightsville Beach. The 184-room beachfront hotel was built in 1999 and is situated about six miles east of Wilmington. The hotel features a 400-person ballroom, 8,000 square feet of meeting space, three pools, fitness center, sand volleyball court, a lounge and two restaurants. Robert Hunter, Christopher Martin and David Altman and R. McLean Hicklin III of Marcus & Millichap represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. An undisclosed limited liability company acquired the seven-story asset. Ben Yelm of Marcus & Millichap also assisted in the closing.
NEW CASTLE, DEL. — Pennsylvania-based Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE: HT) has sold the 192-room Sheraton Wilmington South hotel in New Castle, located south of Philadelphia. The six-story building was constructed in 2011 and renovated in 2020. Amenities include a pool, fitness center, business center and 9,167 square feet of meeting and event space. Jeffrey Davis, Blaise Fletcher, Stephen VanLeer, K.C. Patel, Nikhil Chuchra and Desmund Delaney of JLL represented Hersha Hospitality Trust in the sale of the property to New Castle County. Hersha Hospitality’s stock price closed at $7.49 per share on Monday, Jan. 4, down from $13.74 per share a year ago.
Royal Palm Buys Parcel at Miami Worldcenter for $33.9M, Plans to Develop Mixed-Use Tower
by Alex Tostado
MIAMI — Royal Palm Cos. (RPC) will develop Legacy Hotel & Residences, a 50-story mixed-use building featuring 256 hotel rooms and 274 apartment units, within Miami Worldcenter. The master developer of Miami Worldcenter, Miami World Center Associates, sold the 1.5-acre plot to RPC for $33.9 million. RPC plans to break ground on the tower in early 2021. The asset will feature a business lounge, pool, a one-acre pool deck and a 100,000-square-foot wellness center. A timeline for completion was not disclosed. Robert Given, Troy Ballard and James Quinn of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller in the land transaction. Miami Worldcenter is a $4 billion, 27-acre mixed-use development that has been delivering in phases. Assets that are currently open include RPC’s 60-story Paramount Miami Worldcenter condo tower, which opened across the street from Legacy Hotel & Residences in November 2019; and Caoba, a 444-room apartment tower. Projects currently underway and planned include a 348-room CitizenM hotel, ZOM Living’s 434-unit Bezel apartments, Hines’ 500,000-square-foot office building and MDM Group’s 1,700-room Marriott Marquis and adjacent 600,000-square-foot expo center.
SAN FRANCISCO — Yesterday, Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) soared in valuation during its first day of trading with initial shares priced at $68 for the San Francisco-based home-rental platform. The company’s shares skyrocketed to 113 percent above the initial offering, closing at $144.47. The company’s market capitalization reached $86.5 billion, with its offering raising $3.5 billion — making it the biggest IPO year-to-date. “Airbnb’s strong debut come as little surprise in view of the enormous valuations accorded to anything ‘tech,’” says professor John Colley, associate dean at Warwick Business School and an expert on IPOs. “After all, the company is nearer to profit than many recent and current IPOs.” Prior to its IPO, Airbnb filed multiple updated S-1s with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in which the company announced plans to offer 51.9 million shares at $44 to $50 per share then increased its offering to $56 to $60 per share. The 13-year-old company has experienced growth since its founding with gross booking value (GBV) topping $38 billion in 2019, representing a 29 percent growth from $29.4 billion in 2018.
HOUSTON — Blossom Holding Group is nearing completion of The Blossom Hotel, a 267-room hospitality property that will be located at 7118 Bertner Ave. near the Texas Medical Center in Houston. The 16-story hotel will feature a fitness center, lobby library, outdoor pool, karaoke room and multiple meeting and event spaces. Construction began in August 2018 and is expected to be complete during the first quarter of 2021.
LOS ANGELES — Sunstone Hotel Investors has completed the disposition of Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel, located at 9620 Airport Blvd. in Los Angeles. An undisclosed buyer acquired the asset for $91.5 million, or approximately $182,300 per room. Located less than one mile from Los Angeles International Airport, the hotel features 502 guest rooms, a rooftop pool, fitness center, Studio 12 restaurant and 18,000 square feet of newly renovated event space.