MIDLAND, TEXAS — MCR Development has completed the renovation of Residence Inn by Marriott Midland, a 131-room hotel. The hotel is located near energy, construction and healthcare corporations in Midland, and is in walking distance of Security Bank Ballpark. Renovations included updating all guestrooms and public spaces. The lobby and meeting room were redesigned to provide guests with more space to interact, while the fitness center received new exercise equipment and weights.
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OHIO — Alpine Realty Capital LLC has brokered the sale of a Staybridge Suites hotel in Mayfield Heights, approximately 22 miles east of Cleveland. A local developer sold the asset to Arbor Lodging Group for an undisclosed price. The 123-room extended stay hotel opened in 2007 and is located at 6103 Landerhaven Drive. Arbor Lodging Group plans to renovate and upgrade the guestrooms, public areas and hotel exterior. The hotel features a meeting room, outdoor pool and breakfast area. Ed Walsh of Alpine Realty Capital brokered the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY — Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE: HT) has signed definitive agreements to sell ownership interests in seven of its limited-service hotels in Manhattan for a total purchase price of $571.4 million. The Philadelphia-based hotel REIT sold its interests to joint venture partner Cindat Capital Management Ltd. Totaling 1,087 rooms, the hotels include Holiday Inn Express Times Square, Candlewood Suites Times Square, Hampton Inn Times Square, Hampton Inn Chelsea, Hampton Inn Herald Square, Holiday Inn Wall Street and Holiday Inn Express Wall Street. “Manhattan’s preeminence as a financial, cultural and technological hub, combined with the security and scarcity of its real estate, provides significant yield for a strategic, long-term partner such as Cindat,” says Neil Shah, president and chief operating officer of Hersha Hospitality. “We intend to utilize a portion of the sale proceeds to make hotel investments in Washington, D.C., and California, continue our share repurchase program and repay debt.” The proposed joint venture is structured with Cindat as the preferred joint venture partner holding a 70 percent ownership stake, while Hersha retains a 30 percent equity interest. Cushman & Wakefield represented Hersha in the transaction. Hersha will continue to fully own 10 hotels in New York City …
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 …
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.