BLOOMINGTON, MINN. — Welsh Companies and The Ramkota Companies will hold the ribbon cutting ceremony this week for the new Best Western Plus Bloomington Hotel at the Mall of America. The two companies, through affiliates, acquired the hotel, formerly a Days Inn, in 2008 and launched a renovation, which was completed by Genesis Architecture and Welsh Construction. The new hotel features 211 guest rooms and suites, meeting space for up to 280 people, a fitness center, and a family-friendly water play land.
NORTON, KAN. — Choice Hotels International has opened a new Sleep Inn hotel in Norton. The hotel is the first to open with the brand's new prototype design. Features of the Sleep Inn include a stone façade with a signature tower, a modern lobby design, and guestrooms with media boards and spa-like bathrooms.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Hotel Opal will become San Francisco's first Hampton Inn once its new owner, Wolff Urban, completes the 167-room conversion. The renovation will include a complete overhaul of the hotel's exterior, as well as some interior upgrades.
BOSTON — Bethesda, Md.-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has acquired the 235-room W Boston hotel for $89.5 million from Starwood. The hotel is located in the Theatre District and features 5,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa and fitness center. Also in the hotel are two restaurants, Market and W Lounge, with a third, Descent Theme Bar, scheduled to open in July. Starwood Hotels and Resorts will continue to manage the property. No brokers were used in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — The 176-room Aloft New York Brooklyn, located at 216 Duffield St. in Brooklyn, New York City, has opened. The hotel features a two-story lobby atrium, the w xyz bar, a roof terrace bar, a lobby lounge, a fitness center and an indoor pool. Aloft is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. This is the second Aloft for New York City, with the other located in Harlem.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Strategic Hotels & Resorts has closed a definitive agreement to recapitalize the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, a AAA Five-Diamond luxury resort. The company has created a new joint venture with an affiliate of Walton Street Capital, L.L.C. , a private equity real estate investment firm. The two are equal partners in the JV, though Strategic Hotels will serve as managing member. It will also continue to act as the property's asset manager. The recapitalization includes an amendment and extension of the existing CMBS first mortgage debt through the end of 2013. There is an option for a second extension through April 2015, upon satisfaction of certain terms and conditions. Included in the amendment is a $7-million principal payment for the CMBS first mortgage, among other terms and conditions. The JV has also acquired and retired the hotel's $40-million mezzanine debt. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess' total property debt has been reduced from a total of $180 million to $133 million.
DENVER — Stonebridge Companies has completed its $2-million renovation of the Hampton Inn Lakewood. The renovation included new furnishings and amenities for the hotel's 170 guest rooms, as well as a remodeled lobby and new carpets, wall vinyl, windows and exterior paint. Hampton Inn Lakewood is located at 137 Union Blvd. near west Denver.
MIAMI — Miami-based Aztec Group has arranged a $4.8 million construction loan for the 102-room Comfort Suites Airport/Cruise Port, and a $3.7 million refinancing loan for the 144-room Days Inn Miami Airport North, both in Miami. Jason Shapiro and Boaz Asbel represented the locally based owners of both properties, securing the financing through a local bank.
MELVILLE, N.Y. — Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman has arranged the sale of the 304-room Hilton Long Island/Huntington, located at 598 Broad Hollow Road in Melville, to a joint venture between The Dow Hotel Company and Prudential Insurance Company of America. The hotel will undergo a $15 million renovation, which will include upgraded hotel rooms, corridors, public spaces, HVAC, parking and landscaping. Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman's New York office represented the seller, Melville Hotel Owner 2010.
NEW YORK CITY — Atlanta-based Hodges Ward Elliott (HWE) has represented IFA Hotel Investments (IFA) in the capitalization of the 669-room YOTEL Hotel, located at the intersection of 42nd and 10th in New York City. YOTEL is part of a new billion dollar mixed-use development by Related Companies. The hotel was sold to IFA on a turnkey basis upon completion, which was scheduled from the beginning of the development. Amenities include a restaurant, several bars and lounges, a 5,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, event space and exercise room. HWE sourced $240 million of senior, mezzanine and preferred equity financing, which IFA used to retire the construction loan and acquire YOTEL.