CHICAGO — Hostmark Hospitality Group has been selected to operate a Hilton dual-branded hotel in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood at 118 N. Jefferson St. The 210-room Hampton Inn and 126-room Homewood Suites, which are currently under construction, will open in the fall of 2016. Each hotel will have its own lobby. The Hampton Inn/Homewood Suites will be within close distance of the Illinois Medical District and offers easy access to I-90/94.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — HREC Investment Advisors has arranged the sale of the 260-guestroom Embassy Suites Austin Central. SBCO-BREI Austin Operating Co. LLC is the buyer. Bill Murney of HREC Investment Advisors’ Phoenix office, along with Scott Stephens of the firm’s Tampa office, represented FelCor Lodging Trust during the transaction. The property is located at the intersection of I-35 and U.S. 290, approximately 4.5 miles from downtown Austin.
PLANO, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Comfort Suites Plano/Dallas, a 76-room hospitality property located in Plano. Pravin Boteju, Andrew Frosch, Rahul Bijlani and Michael Yu of Marcus & Millichap’s Houston office marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a private investor. Yu, Bijlani and Frosch also sourced the buyer, a private investor. Comfort Suites Plano/Dallas is located at 2301 E. President George Bush Highway.
NORWOOD, MASS. — Summit Hotel Properties Inc. has acquired the Hampton Inn Boston-Norwood, a 139-room hotel located at 434 Providence Hwy. in Norwood for $24 million. The company plans to spend $2.3 million on capital improvements, which will include a conversion to a Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton, at the property during the second half of 2016. Additionally, the company has entered into a management agreement with Interstate Hotels & Resorts to manage the property. The name of the seller was not released.
PHOENIX – The 44th and McDowell Hotel Group LLC has purchased the 228-unit Holiday Inn Hotels & Suites Phoenix Airport North for an undisclosed sum. The hotel is located at 1515 N. 44th Street. The property underwent an $11 million conversion to Holiday Inn & Suites in 2011. It is situated just two miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The seller, Jordan Hotels LLC, was represented by Bill Murney of HREC Investment Advisors’ Phoenix office.
NEW YORK CITY — HKS Capital Partners has secured $109 million in financing to complete the SLS Midtown South, a boutique hotel at 444 Park Avenue South in New York City. Moin Development acquired a 14-story office building at the site in 2011 for $45 million and partnered with SBE to develop the $150 million SLS Midtown South, which is slated to open next spring. The 20-story hotel will feature a 6,000-square-foot sub-cellar. Ayush Kapahi and Gabrielle Simon of HKS Capital Partners arranged the financing, which was provided by Fortress Investment Group.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Manor Inn College Station Aggieland, a 116-room hospitality property located at 2504 Texas Ave. S. in College Station. Rahul Bijlani, Eric Guerrero and Michael Yu of Marcus & Millichap’s Houston office marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a private investor. The buyer, a limited liability company, was also secured and sourced by Yu, Bijlani, Agrama Mannapperuma and Tyler Bean of the firm’s Houston office.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — A joint venture between Carey Watermark Investors Inc. and Gencom Group has purchased a majority interest in the Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, an upscale hotel in Fort Lauderdale. The property comprises 166 hotel rooms, 34 third-party owned condominium hotel units and 28 third-party owned residential units. The hotel features 25,000 square feet of meeting and function space, an 8,500-square-foot spa, outdoor infinity pool, 29,000-square-foot pool deck, fitness center, business center and four managed food and beverage outlets. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. will continue to operate the hotel. According to the South Florida Business Journal, the hotel sold for $45 million. Hodges Ward Elliott represented the seller, RCFL Investor LLC, an affiliate of Gencom. The new ownership is planning a $9 million renovation to the hotel’s lobby, spa and main restaurant that should wrap up in the fourth quarter of this year. The transaction is the third joint venture purchase between Carey Watermark and Gencom. The other two transactions include Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia and Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne Miami. Together, the three transactions represent a total investment of more than $500 million.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Grandbridge Real Estate Capital has closed a $25.6 million first mortgage refinancing on Doubletree by Hilton, a 243-room hotel in downtown Tallahassee. The property is located within walking distance to the Florida Capitol Building, Florida State University and Florida A&M University. The hotel features a full-service bar and restaurant, banquet and meeting rooms, fitness center, swimming pool and parking garage. Bill Mattice and Phillip Cox of Grandbridge’s Greenville, S.C., office arranged the loan through Goldman Sachs in a CMBS loan structure.
PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. — Palisades Hospitality Group (PHG) has purchased the 57-room Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs for $24 million. The hotel is located at 572 North Indian Canyon Drive. Colony Palms is situated just one block off the city’s main downtown strip. It was built in the 1930s. Amenities include a full-service spa and the Purple Palm restaurant and bar. PHG plans to upgrade and enhance the property over the next several months. It will also create 1,200 square feet of meeting space for small groups and events that can accommodate up to 50 people. The hotel has a colored past, as it was allegedly once owned by mobster Al Westheimer. At the time, it featured a casino, speakeasy and brothel that attracted famous Hollywood guests like Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and Humphrey Bogart. The hotel was purchased in the 1940s by Robert and Amanda Leeds-Howard, the owners of famed racehorse Seabiscuit. It underwent a substantial $17 million renovation in 2008. That renovation was overseen by Martyn Bullard-Lawrence, who was named one of Architectural Digest’s top 100 interior designers. He is also known for his role on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Designers.” PHG will operate the Colony Palms under …
