The hotel industry has gained momentum over the last few years, with impressive increases in revenue per available room (RevPAR) and a continuing development boom in virtually all major markets across the Midwest and the nation. In the Chicago hotel market, RevPAR increased 7.2 percent in 2014 on a year-over-basis, according to STR Inc., and RevPAR was up 7.7 percent through the first 11 months of 2015. With consumer demand so strong and the development pipeline quite active, it might feel like the challenges of the last recession are long in the past. The reality, however, is that in a cyclical market the next downturn is never too far away. There are some indications that the ride may be slowing down and that the good times the region and the industry have enjoyed in recent years may be coming to an end. Oversupply Concerns While Chicago’s construction pipeline is smaller than a number of other metropolitan areas, it is the Windy City’s most robust development pipeline in recent memory. In aggregate, there will be a 20 percent increase in the room supply over three years. That could easily balloon to 25 percent with projects recently announced. This is very likely …
Hospitality
SEATTLE — Moody National REIT II has entered into an agreement to purchase the Marriott SpringHill Suites Hotel in Seattle for $74.1 million, excluding closing costs. The SpringHill Suites Seattle is a select-service hotel consisting of 234 guest rooms. Located on the southeast corner of Stewart Street and Yale Avenue in downtown Seattle, the SpringHill Suites Seattle is situated along one of the city’s major transportation routes with access to the corporate homes of Amazon.com, Microsoft, Nordstrom and REI. The hotel is also located near Puget Sound and is within walking distance of the Seattle Space Needle. “Located downtown in a global gateway city accommodating travelers from around the world, and home to companies including Amazon.com, Microsoft, Boeing and Starbucks, this investment presents itself as an attractive addition to our portfolio,” says Brett Moody, CEO and chairman of REIT II. Forbes magazine named Seattle the “No. 1 Best City for Jobs in 2015” based on 16 metrics including job opportunities, employment growth, monthly median starting salary, median annual income, time spent working and commuting, and housing affordability. Due to its geographic location, Seattle is a national hub for manufacturing, technology industries, international business, trade and tourism. Moody National REIT II …
HOUSTON — Atlanta-based Songy Highroads has opened Hyatt Place Houston Galleria, a 157-room hotel located across from the Galleria shopping center in Houston. Aimbridge Hospitality manages the 12-story hotel, situated at 5252 W. Alabama St. The hotel contains three floors of common space and nine guestroom floors with both suites and standard rooms. Onsite amenities include a swimming pool, fitness center, meeting space, business center, dining options, a market and a lobby coffee shop and bar. Songy Highroads began development of the hotel in August 2014 and also developed the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria, a 325-room hotel located adjacent to the Hyatt Place that opened in October 2015. Songy Highroads owns both hotels, which are part of a 7.6-acre mixed-use development that also contains two office towers and retail space.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Douglas Development Corp. has selected TPG Hotels & Resorts to co-develop and operate the first Moxy hotel in Washington, D.C. Moxy is a brand of Marriott International. Set to open in the first quarter of 2017, the 200-room Moxy DC Hotel will be located on the corner of 11th and K streets in Washington, D.C. The 13-story hotel will feature a rooftop lounge, street-level patio and a live Instragram wall that features images from Moxy travelers worldwide.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — Related Cos. and Hilton Worldwide have opened Hilton West Palm Beach, a 12-story convention hotel located in downtown West Palm Beach. The property features 400 guestrooms, 43 suites, a grand lobby, thee quarter-acre lanai, zero-entry pool, private cabanas, Restoration Hardware furnishings and a poolside bar and fire pit. The property’s dining options include Manor, a farm-to-table restaurant; Galley, the hotel’s lobby bar; and Provisions, a marketplace that provides locally sourced goods, prepared food, cold-pressed juices and gifts from local shops and artists. Connected to The Palm Beach County Convention Center via an enclosed walkway, Hilton West Palm Beach features more than 24,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 13,350-square-foot Oceana Ballroom and the 5,800-square-foot Coral Ballroom, as well as two 2,400-square-foot lawn spaces for weddings, special events and fitness programming. The project team includes Miami-based architect Nicholas Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates and Dallas-based interior designer Looney and Associates.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Omni Hotels & Resorts has broken ground on the 612-room Omni Louisville Hotel, the brand’s first property in Kentucky. The hotel will be located at Liberty and 2nd Street in downtown Louisville, one block from Kentucky International Convention Center. Development costs for the public-private project are estimated at $289 million. The 30-story hotel is set to open in early 2018. “Today was much more than just breaking ground on the Omni Louisville Hotel,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Today’s groundbreaking is symbolic of the future transformation of our city and the prosperity yet to come. This hotel will not only help bolster our reputation as a leading meetings and leisure destination, but will serve as a cornerstone where our downtown community can connect.” Amenities at the hotel will include an all-day dining venue, lobby lounge, and rooftop pool bar and grill, in addition to Bob’s Steak & Chop House. The top floors will also feature 225 luxury apartments. The property will provide approximately 70,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, a fitness center, spa and speakeasy with a bowling alley. A grocery store is set to open adjacent to the hotel, …
IRVINE, CALIF. — A real estate fund managed by Ares has made a strategic investment in Montage Hotels & Resorts. The partnership will allow Ares to purchase a minority stake of up to 20 percent in Montage. Ares will also provide up to $200 million in future growth capital to Montage. The funds will focus on the continued expansion of the Montage- and Pendry-branded hotels and resorts portfolio. Jay Glaubach, a managing director at Ares Management and co-portfolio manager of Ares’ opportunistic real estate funds, will join Montage’s Board of Directors. Dentons served as counsel to Montage Hotels & Resorts. This is Ares’ second investment with Irvine-based Montage. It had previously made an investment in Pendry San Diego. This property is part of the company’s new luxury lifestyle brand, Pendry Hotels. The new hotel will debut this fall in San Diego’s Gaslamp District.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Wurzak Hotel Group and DoveHill have selected Tutor Perini Building Corp. to construct a dual-branded Tribute Portfolio and Element by Westin hotel in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The new 24-story tower will feature a 209-room Tribute Portfolio hotel and a 114-room Element by Westin hotel. The property will also feature a rooftop lounge and restaurant, pool, gymnasium, parking within the projectg, ground-level retail space, a ballroom and several meeting rooms. Tutor Perini expects to break ground in the spring and wrap up construction in the fall of 2017.
LINCOLN CITY, ORE. — The 54-room Edgecliff Motel in Lincoln City has sold to an unnamed buyer for $1.6 million. The hotel is located at 3733 Highway 101. It overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and is about one mile south of the Tanger Outlet Mall. The hotel will undergo a $1 million remodel. Joseph P. Kennedy of Crystal Investment Property represented the seller in this transaction.
CHICAGO — Associated Bank and Inland Bank have provided a $36 million loan for the construction of a new 195-room Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago. Associated Bank acted as the lead arranger in the deal, providing two-thirds of the capital. SMASHotels Chicago LLC, an ECD Co. affiliate, will develop the 21-story hotel, which will be located at 228 E. Ontario St. The hotel will include a first floor restaurant and lounge, meeting and event space, a fitness room and a business center. Associated Bank previously provided the loan for the land acquisition. Krista Casper of Assocaited Bank managed the construction loan.