MUNSTER, IND. — Vista Capital Co. has arranged a $9.3 million loan for the refinancing of the Hampton Inn & Suites in Munster. Opened in 2004, the 91-room hotel is located 25 miles from Chicago. A European-based investment bank provided the 10-year loan. The borrower was not disclosed.
BOSTON — Cottonwood Management Group is opening a new Boston regional office at 101 Seaport Blvd. in the city’s Seaport district. The California-based asset management and development company has also commenced pre-construction on its Seaport Square Parcel M1M2 development, which is located next door. The M1M2 project consists of 1 million square feet of mixed-use development over 3.5 acres in Seaport Square. The residential component includes 730-plus units in two condominium towers and one luxury rental tower. In addition to the residences, the project includes 125,000 square feet of two-story retail and restaurants centered around a vibrant public courtyard. Construction is scheduled to span three years with phased completion dates in late 2019 to early 2020. In addition to serving as its regional office, part of Cottonwood’s Seaport Boulevard space will be used as the sales center for the project’s residential component. The company is preparing for an official groundbreaking for the project in May.
INDIANAPOLIS — Huff, Niehaus & Associates Inc. has brokered the sale of the Holiday Inn Express Indy NW-Park 100 in Indianapolis for $6 million. Park Property Investments LLC purchased the 121-room hotel, with plans to convert the property into a Best Western Plus by the end of the year. Brandt Niehaus of Huff, Niehaus & Associates represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
MIAMI — MDM Group has closed on the $45 million purchase of five acres at N.W. 7th Street and 1st Avenue within Miami Worldcenter, a $2 billion development now under construction that will feature residential, retail, office and hospitality components. The seller was Old Arena LLC, an entity led by Nitin Motwani. The site, the original home of the former Miami Arena, will house the Marriott Marquis Marriott Worldcenter Hotel & Expo Center. The project will be built in two phases, the first of which will include 600,000 square feet of conference and exposition space and 1,100 hotel rooms. Phase II will comprise a 600-room hotel tower. The development is expected to generate thousands of jobs during construction phases and hundreds of direct and indirect jobs once the hotel and conference center are fully operational. The design team includes Miami-based architect Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates and interior designer RTKL. MDM Group expects to break ground on the project by the end of the year. Master developer Miami Worldcenter Associates, led by Art Falcone and Motwani, will deliver Miami Worldcenter in phases over the coming years.
COLLEGE STATION AND ROUND ROCK, TEXAS — Wheelock Street Capital LLC has refinanced two Marriott-branded hotels it owns in Texas: the 125-room Courtyard Marriott located at 3939 State Highway 6 near Texas A&M University in College Station, and the 113-room Courtyard Marriott located at 2700 Hoppe Trail next to Dell headquarters in the Austin suburb of Round Rock. Steven Klein, Casey Wenzel and Roy Shepard of HFF arranged the three-year, floating-rate loan. Wheelock Street Capital will use the refinancing to take out existing acquisition financing and to provide capital to continue its property improvement plan. The financing is part of a $45 million package for four hotels spanning 441 rooms in Texas and Tennessee.
TEXAS CITY, TEXAS — CBRE Hotels has arranged the sale of a Holiday Inn Express & Suites, located at 2440 Gulf Freeway in Texas City, a submarket of Houston. Peet Hotels Inc. sold the 70-room property, just off Interstate 45 between Houston and Galveston, to Texas City Hospitality LLC for an undisclosed price. Eric Guerrero, Michael Yu, Rahul Bijlani and Dennis Drake of CBRE represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction.
DRAPER, UTAH — Hilton has premiered the 121-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Salt Lake City Draper. The hotel is located in the Salt Lake City submarket of Draper. West 77 Partners developed and owns the property, which The Hotel Group will manage. It is situated near Salt Lake City International Airport, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Rio Tinto Stadium, Hale Centre Theatre, Timpanogos Cave National Monument and Cowabunga Bay Water Park.
GLEN ALLEN, VA. — Lingerfelt CommonWealth Partners LLC, a Richmond-based commercial real estate investment firm, has sold the 243-room Richmond Marriott Short Pump for $38.5 million. The hotel is located at 4240 Dominion Blvd. in Glen Allen. The buyer, a partnership of regional investors, has retained Commonwealth Lodging Management, Lingerfelt CommonWealth’s hotel management affiliate, to operate the hotel. In October 2015, Commonwealth Lodging oversaw an $11 million renovation of the hotel. The property features complimentary high-speed internet, a swimming pool, fitness center and event space.
POOLER, GA. — Image Hotels has broken ground on a four-story, 120-room Courtyard by Marriott located at 419 Pooler Parkway in Pooler, a suburb of Savannah. The Courtyard Pooler/Savannah Airport hotel will be situated near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and the new Tanger Outlet Savannah. The property will feature 6,820 square feet of banquet and event space, as well as a fitness center, guest laundry services, business center, restaurant and a 24-hour snack shop. Set to open in September 2018, the hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise and will be owned by Image Pooler LLC. Image Hotels will manage the hotel upon completion.
SEDONA, ARIZ. — DiamondRock Hospitality Co. (NYSE: DRH) has purchased the 88-room L’Auberge de Sedona and the adjacent 70-room Orchards Inn Sedona for a total of $97 million. The resorts are situated in the Red Rock region of Sedona on the banks of Oak Creek, just south of Flagstaff. DiamondRock plans to reposition the resorts through a $5 million capital investment plan, which will enhance the luxury cottages at L’Auberge, among other improvements. The renovations will be completed during the off seasons over the next two years for minimal disruptions. “This acquisition represents a rare opportunity to own two high-quality resort properties in a coveted, high-barrier-to-entry resort market,” says Mark Brugger, DiamondRock’s president and CEO. “While we believe the initial pricing of the deal is attractive, we have identified significant opportunities to increase profitability.” About $14 million has been invested in the resorts, its guest rooms and restaurants since 2015. Sedona is one of the highest growth markets in the U.S. hospitality industry, DiamondRock notes, with RevPAR (revenue per available room) increasing 11.3 percent in 2016. L’Auberge includes dining options Cress on Oak Creek and Etch Kitchen & Bar, while Orchards Inn features 89Agave Mexican restaurant, among other casual dining …
