RICHARDSON, TEXAS — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Hilton Garden Inn Dallas/Richardson, a 125-room hotel that was built in 2008. The property is located along the Telecom Corridor, a six-mile strip northeast of Dallas that houses some 600 technology companies and 25 million square feet of office space. Chris Gomes and Allan Miller of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a Texas-based limited liability company, in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.
SHARONVILLE, OHIO — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $5.2 million sale of a 75-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites hotel in Sharonville near Cincinnati. The property is located at 11160 Dowlin Drive. Andrew Bankhurst and Alexandre Duong of Marcus & Millichap marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a limited liability company. The team also secured the buyer, a limited liability company.
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY — Blackstone Real Estate Partners IX, an affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE: BX), is acquiring a 65 percent controlling interest in Great Wolf Resorts Inc. Although the specific price of the investment was not disclosed, Blackstone and existing owner Centerbridge Partners LP will form a new $2.9 billion joint venture to own the company. Chicago-based based Great Wolf is an owner and operator of family-oriented entertainment resorts, with 18 locations around the country. Each lodge contains a full-service hotel, indoor waterpark, recreational activities and various food and beverage offerings. A new resort in Northern California is slated to open next year. “Great Wolf has enriched the guest experience and opened seven new lodges since 2015,” says Tyler Henritze, head of U.S. acquisitions for Blackstone. “We look forward to investing in these properties to further deliver for guests and grow the company.” Murray Hennessy, CEO of Great Wolf, says that the company stands to benefit greatly from Blackstone’s insights and expertise in hospitality. The sale comes at a time when theme park companies are benefitting from higher consumer spending on travel and leisure, according to Bloomberg. Blackstone has previously invested in SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. and helped buy …
BOSTON — Choice Hotels International Inc. has opened Cambria Hotel Boston, Downtown-South Boston, a 159-room hotel in the South Boston or “Southie” neighborhood. The hotel features a food and beverage service called Six \ West that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a ground-floor restaurant and extends service to a rooftop 4,000-square-foot rooftop lounge. Other amenities include a 2,400-square-foot gym, business meeting space and close access to mass transit lines. City Point Capital is developing the hotel, and Meyer Jabara will manage the property.
FLINT, MICH. — A new 101-room Hilton Garden Inn is set to open in downtown Flint in 2020. The building was formerly known as the Genesee County Savings Bank Building. The historic 11-story building was Flint’s second skyscraper when it opened in 1920. (The height of a skyscraper in those days was typically much lower than today.) Plans for the Hilton Garden Inn include a full-service restaurant, meeting and banquet center and rooftop deck. Crescent Hotels and Resorts will manage the hotel. Flint-based firms DW Lurvey Co. and Sorenson Gross are jointly managing construction of the project. Detroit-based Kraemer Design Group is serving as architect, interior designer and historic consultant. Developer Uptown Reinvestment Corp., Michigan Economic Development Corp., Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Skypoint Ventures and Local Initiatives Support Corp. are providing project financing, along with Huntington Bank and Old National Bank.
BOSTON — Suffolk University has purchased the 114-room Ames Boston Hotel, located in Financial District of the city, for $63 million. The historic property, located at 1 Court St., was originally built in 1893 and redeveloped in 2009. The university will rebrand the building as a student housing facility called the One Court Street Residence Hall, which will ultimately house approximately 280 students. The building will undergo minor renovations, which are slated for completion in fall 2020. Ted Wheatley and Robert Webster of JLL represented Suffolk University in the transaction. Denny Meikleham, Alan Suzuki and Matthew Enright of JLL represented the seller, Invesco Real Estate.
CHICAGO — Hyatt Hotels Corp. has launched a new brand within the select-service category called Caption. The brand is designed with communal spaces in mind. Union Square Hospitality Group consulted on the design of a food and beverage concept, which will include a café, market and bar. Guest rooms will average around 270 square feet. “We intend for the Caption by Hyatt brand to be a global growth driver domestically and internationally in dense urban markets, emerging neighborhoods and high foot-traffic areas,” says Jim Chu, global head of development for Hyatt.
CLACKAMAS, ORE. — McMillin LLC has purchased Courtyard by Marriott Portland Southeast/Clackamas, a hotel located at 9300 SE Sunnybrook Blvd. in Clackamas, 12 miles southeast of Portland. An institutional seller sold the property for an undisclosed sum. Renovated in 2016, the four-story hotel features 136 guest rooms and suites, three meeting rooms, an on-site bistro, indoor swimming pool and whirlpool, fitness center, business center, 24-hour sundry shop and a boarding pass station. Scott Hall, Tim Wright, Casey Davidson, Nick Kassab, Aaron Lapping and Blake Malecha of JLL represented the seller in the deal.
POMPANO BEACH, FLA. — The Impulsive Group has purchased the Residence Inn by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Pompano Beach in Pompano Beach for $44 million. The 106-room hotel offers beach access and features a swimming pool, fitness center, business center, two meeting rooms and The Sandbar Restaurant. The seller was not disclosed.
DALLAS — JMJ Development will build a 25-story project in the Turtle Creek neighborhood of Dallas that will house a 177-room hotel and 97 condominium units. The site, which will include 387 parking spaces, is located just north of downtown Dallas. JMJ is currently negotiating with five-star hotel brands for the hospitality component of the project. New York City-based Madison Realty Capital provided a $32.5 million loan for the acquisition of the land. A construction schedule is still being finalized.