BOSTON — HFF has brokered the sale of a three-property hotel portfolio in Boston. The sales price was undisclosed. The 433-room portfolio includes the DoubleTree by Hilton Boston – Milford, the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Boston – Rockland, and the Hilton Garden Inn Plymouth. All three hotels are located within 40 miles of Boston. Denny Meikleham, Alan Suzuki and Matthew Enright of HFF represented the seller, Linchris Hotel Corp., in the transaction. The buyer was Jamsan Hotel Management.
ATLANTA — Somewhere between a branded hotel like Holiday Inn and a truly independent hotel lies the “soft-branded” hotel. These properties are pseudo-independent in that they don’t adhere to hotel brand standards but their owners can tap into the networks of established chains for resources like reservation software, loyalty programs and distribution channels. Owners franchise the hotel properties for a fee, but the operations and look more resemble an independent hotel, which is an attractive concept given how many travelers are looking for authentic experiences from their hotel stays. “Soft brands are the hot product in the hotel industry,” said Jeff Higley, vice president and editorial director of Hotel News Now/STR Global. Higley’s comments came during the 31st annual Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, which was held March 20-22 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta. The conference drew 1,850 attendees. Higley moderated a panel on the first day of the event that included executives from hotel brands and hospitality ownership and development firms. Evolution of soft brands According to lodging research and analytics firm STR, soft-branded hotels comprise a little more than 1.3 percent of all U.S. hotel rooms, but that figure is significant in that 11 years the …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Developer Hines and investor Qatari Diar have delivered Conrad Washington, D.C., a 360-room, 10-story hotel. Situated at 950 New York Ave. NW, the hotel is the hospitality component of CityCenterDC, a 10-acre mixed-use neighborhood in downtown Washington, D.C. The Conrad line is a luxury brand within the Hilton Hotels & Resorts family. The Conrad features 30,000 square feet of ground-level retail and 32,000 square feet of meeting space. Other amenities include James Beard Award recipients and “Top Chef” finalists, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio’s seafood restaurant called Estuary; Summit The Rooftop at Conrad, an event terrace; and Sakura Club, a lounge on the 10th floor. The design team included Herzog & de Meuron, production architect and hotel consultant HKS Inc., exacting interiors architect Rottet Studio and landscape architecture firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol. Hilton Management Services will manage the hotel.
FRISCO, TEXAS — Developer Sam Moon Group is topping off the Hyatt Regency Stonebriar, an 18-story hotel in Frisco. Located near Dr. Pepper Ballpark, the 303-room hotel is attached to the Stonebriar Centre Mall and features a 54,585-square-foot conference center. Brasfield & Gorrie is the general contractor and HKS Inc. is the architect. Completion is slated for late spring 2020.
HORSEHEADS, N.Y. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $3 million sale of Holiday Inn Elmira/Horseheads, a 99-room hotel located at 2666 Corning Road in Horseheads, about 90 miles south of Syracuse. The two-story property is situated on 2.6 acres and features amenities such as a pool, fitness center, business center and airport shuttle service. Jerry Swon, Tim McCaffrey and Daniel Zagoria of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction.
SAN DIEGO — Driftwood Acquisitions and Development (DAD) has entered the California market with the acquisition of Marriott Mission Valley located at 8757 Rio San Diego Drive in San Diego. An undisclosed seller sold the property for $85.7 million. Built in 1988 on a 7.4-acre site, Marriott Mission Valley features 353 guest rooms, more than 37,000 square feet of meeting and event space, Dine Entertain Network Restaurant, M Club Lounge, a business center, fitness center, outdoor swimming pool and convenience store. DAD plans to develop a 130,000-square-foot, 150-key hotel on a 1.7-acre portion of the site. Slated for completion in 2021, the property will include 5,000 square feet of meeting space and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
DETROIT — L. Mason Capitani CORFAC International has brokered the sale of The Royal Palm/Park Avenue Hotel located at 2305 Park Ave. in Detroit. The sales price was not disclosed, but the asking price was $15 million. The 13-story, 180-room hotel was designed by Detroit architect Louis Kamper in 1925 and has been operational ever since. Downtown Hospitality Detroit LLC, which is owned by Mario Kiezi and Mike Abdulnoor, purchased the property. The buyers plan to fully restore the hotel and add two restaurants on the first floor as well as a rooftop bar. Completion of the project is slated for late 2020. Al Lafrate of L. Mason Capitani represented the buyer and the seller, Catharina Harrington, who had operated the hotel with her late husband Wilbur Harrington since 1967.
ANAHEIM, CALIF. — R.D. Olson Construction has broken ground on a 223-room, dual-branded hotel located at 1441 S. Manchester Ave. in Anaheim. Situated two blocks from Disneyland Resort, the 220,000-square-foot property will comprise a 123-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 100-room Home2 Suites. Home2 Suites offers an extended-stay experience for guests, including a full-sized sleeper sofa, workspace and in-suite kitchen complete with a refrigerator, cooktop, dishwasher, dishes and glassware. Additionally, the dual-branded property will also include a laundry, fitness center and 24-hour marketplace. Both hotels will also have access to a restaurant, bar, pool, hot tub, kids splash pad and shared lobby. Guests at both hotels will also have access to 1,000 square feet of meeting space, 1,500 square feet of retail space and two levels of underground valet parking. Completion is slated for the fourth quarter of 2020. The project team includes BRR Architecture and Studio 11 Design.
IOWA AND WISCONSIN — HREC Investment Advisors has brokered the sale of a three-property Hampton Inn portfolio in Iowa and Wisconsin. The portfolio included a 135-room hotel in West Des Moines, a 122-room hotel in Appleton and a 119-room hotel in Brookfield. Denver-based Walker Reynolds acquired the select-service portfolio. HREC represented the seller, affiliates of The Raymond Group and North Central Group, both headquartered in Madison, Wis.
BROOKLYN PARK, MINN. — Midas Hospitality has opened a 107-room Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel in Brooklyn Park, its second hotel within the city. The nearly 58,000-square-foot hotel is part of a $28 million development. The property includes suites with fully equipped kitchens designed for extended-stay use. Amenities include an indoor pool, meeting room, fitness area and patio. MC Hotel Construction served as the general contractor.
