San Antonio evokes many positive images: the River Walk, the Alamo, Fiesta, the Mission Trail, Texas Hill Country and more. All of these images have one thing in common: hospitality. San Antonio is known for its warmth and hospitality. It is a fun place to visit for the many conventioneers and tourists that are attracted to the city year after year. It is also a good place to do business and a great place to live. Strength of the Market San Antonio boasts a strong economy. Overall employment grew at 3.5 percent over the past year, including an above-average growth of 3.2 percent for hospitality, retail and healthcare employment. Unemployment declined to 3.6 percent in July 2016, with strong increases in the labor force, according to Moody’s Analytics. Tourism and convention activity drive the economy, strengthened by a large military and cybersecurity presence. Manufacturing, healthcare and energy round out San Antonio’s strong, stable economy. The San Antonio lodging industry has also maintained a strong and steady pattern. While other Texas markets are adding a lot of new supply, San Antonio has kept the number of new hotel rooms to a minimum, adding only about 1,000 rooms over the past five …
Hospitality
Majestic, Carter to Develop $350M Mixed-Use Project at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
by John Nelson
ATLANTA — Master developers Majestic Realty Co. and Carter have announced plans for a $350 million mixed-use project at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Phase I of the project will include an 11-story, 440-room hotel that features a restaurant in the lobby, 80,000 square feet of conference/meeting space, a skybar on the 10th floor that overlooks the airport’s runway, 750 parking spaces and an additional 60,000 square feet of Class A office space. Visitors and hotel guests will have direct access to MARTA and the airport’s SkyTrain service. Majestic Realty and Carter are currently in discussions with InterContinental Hotels Group to serve as the operator of the four-star facility, which will be situated directly west of the domestic terminal. The hotel will be connected to the domestic terminal via a new plaza. Phase II of the project will feature two additional hotels built on 13 acres just west of Phase I. The design stage is expected to begin in 2017 with construction slated to start by early 2018. In 2015, Majestic Realty and Carter signed a 50-year lease for the 26.5-acre site with the city of Atlanta. The master development is part of the airport’s $6 billion ATLNext Initiative.
PITTSBURGH — HREC Investment Advisors has brokered the sale of La Quinta Inn & Suites Pittsburgh North McKnight, located at 4859 McKnight Road in Pittsburgh. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Hamister Group acquired the 145-room hotel for an undisclosed price. Ketan Patel and Ted Anka of HREC represented the seller in the transaction.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO. — Midas Hospitality will manage the new $16 million Staybridge Suites hotel located at 25 Progress Parkway in Maryland Heights, a suburb of St. Louis. The 122-room hotel features one- and two-bedroom suites. MC Hotel Construction, a sister company of Midas Hospitality, built the hotel.
TEMECULA, CALIF. — The Mount Palomar Winery has received county approval to develop a resort and event venue in Temecula. The resort will include 180 guest rooms ranging from hotel rooms to cottages and villas. It will also feature a 1,800-seat amphitheater, restaurant, retail space and spa, in addition to a 17,000-square-foot tasting room. Mount Palomar will also add more vineyards and a production facility capable of producing 60,000 cases of wine per year.
HILO, HAWAII — DoubleTree by Hilton has opened the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo, a 320-room hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii. The historic property recently underwent a $30 million renovation. The hotel includes Hilo’s only nine-hole golf course, along with a swimming pool and fitness center. It is located at 93 Banyan Drive. WHR LLC owns the property, which Aqua-Aston Hospitality manages.
BOSTON — Related Beal has topped off Parcel 1B, a residential, retail and hospitality development in downtown Boston. Designed by CBT Architects, the 484,000-square-foot property will feature 239 affordable and workforce apartment units, 10,000 square feet of street-level retail space, 220 parking spaces and a Courtyard by Marriott. Operated by Turnberry Associates, the 220-room hotel will feature 2,500 square feet of meeting space. Situated within Boston’s Bulfinch Triangle, the property is located in close proximity to public transportation.
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. — Waramaug LS Hotels has purchased the Holiday Inn Express Hauppauge Long Island in Hauppauge for an undisclosed price. Opened in 2001, the seven-story, 133-room hotel recently underwent a comprehensive renovation that upgraded the entire property to latest brand standards. The hotel features an indoor swimming pool, business center, fitness center, sundry shop, complimentary breakfast, free high-speed wireless internet and two meeting rooms. The name of the seller was not released.
OCEAN CITY, MD. — Washington, Del.-based Applied Bank has provided a $21 million construction and permanent loan for a new Hyatt Place Hotel located at 16th Street and Boardwalk in Ocean City. The new 105-room, seven-story hotel will replace the existing Seascape Motel, which opened in the 1950s. The property will feature a restaurant, bar, outdoor veranda, meeting rooms, room service, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a fitness center, as well as six shops fronting Boardwalk. The owner, PRBR Hospitality LLC, has owned the site since 1978.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — Concord Hospitality Enterprises Co. plans to open a new hotel under the Marriott Autograph Collection brand at the former City Hall site in West Palm Beach. The 200-room hotel will anchor the $135 million redevelopment of the three-acre site. Navarro Lowrey Properties is the master developer of the redevelopment, which will include 27,000 square feet of retail space, up to 7,000 square feet of restaurant and outdoor dining space, 255 multifamily residences and a public park. The new hotel will overlook the Intracoastal Waterway and Palm Beach and offer views of the Atlantic Ocean. Concord Hospitality plans to break ground on the hotel in 2017.