LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. — Hilton Worldwide has opened Hilton Garden Inn New York Long Island City/Manhattan View in Long Island City. As the city’s first Hilton Garden Inn, the hotel features 183 guestrooms, four meeting rooms totaling more than 1,410 square feet of flexible meeting space, and a presidential suite with a view of the Manhattan skyline. The guestrooms feature the brand’s signature bedding, a work desk with an ergonomic desk chair, mini fridges, microwaves and Keurig coffee makers. Additional hotel amenities include complimentary WiFi, 24-hour business center, fitness center and an indoor pool. The hotel is owned by CVR Hotel LLC and managed by Crescent Hotels and Resorts.
Hospitality
INDIANAPOLIS — Hilton Worldwide has signed a franchise license agreement with PK Partners to develop the 125-room Hampton Inn & Suites Indianapolis/Keystone. The five-story hotel will be located at 8980 River Crossing Blvd. in Indianapolis. PK Partners will own the property and Schahet Hotels Inc. will operate the hotel. Located in the heart of Keystone at the Crossing, adjacent to the River North at Keystone, Hampton Inn & Suites Indianapolis/Keystone will be part of a mixed-use development and within walking distance to the Fashion Mall at Keystone. The new hotel is set for completion in late 2016.
ALLEN, TEXAS — The Allen City Council has approved a development agreement with TCH Altera LLC for the construction of The Convention Center at Watters Creek, an $85 million facility. The convention hotel will contain 290 guest rooms, a 64,500-square-foot convention center and a 1,000-car parking garage on seven acres at Bethany Drive and North Central Expressway. Projected to open in January 2017, the center will become the largest convention and exhibition space in the north Dallas suburbs. The multi-entity agreement provides for the city, Allen Economic Development Corp. (AEDC) and Allen Community Development Corp. to jointly contribute $12.3 million toward the capital investment in the project and to provide additional operational support over time. The AEDC also will contribute the land, which it has owned since the 1990s. TCH Altera has arranged construction financing and anticipates breaking ground by the end of this summer.
ABERDEEN, MD. — Meridian Capital Group has arranged $13.6 million in bridge and construction financing for two hotels in Aberdeen, roughly 32 miles north of Baltimore via I-95. The borrower, Cross Roads Hospitality, will use the financing to reposition an existing property at 793 W. Bel Air Ave. as an 80-room LaQuinta Inn & Suites hotel and construct a new 98-room Hampton hotel. Tal Bar-Or, Beau Williams and Judah Neuman of Meridian Capital Group’s New York City office arranged the two-year bridge and construction loan through a national bridge lender. The loan features interest-only payments for the full term.
ASPEN, COLO. — The 179-room St. Regis Aspen Resort has received a $100 million refinance. The resort is located at 315 E. Dean Street, at the base of Aspen Mountain in downtown Aspen. The property was acquired by 315 East Dean Associates, led by Stephane de Baets, in 2010. The company has since invested about $50 million to renovate the five-star resort. The first mortgage was provided by an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners Credit Opportunities Fund.
WEST MONROE, LA. — Atlanta-based Hotel Equities has been selected to manage the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott under construction in West Monroe. The hotel is slated to break ground this summer and open in the third quarter of 2016. The hotel will be located near the University of Louisiana-Monroe and the Ike Hamilton Expo Center. The ownership group for the new hotel includes Jon Patel and Kevin Patel of Monroe, La., and Nimesh Zaver of Lake Charles, La. The group has 26 Louisiana hotels in its portfolio.
LANTANA, FLA. — Dockerty Romer & Co. has arranged $3.5 million in permanent mortgage financing for a 62-room Holiday Inn Express. The hotel is located on Hypoluxo Road in Lantana, a town in Palm Beach County. Michael McCleary of Delray Beach, Fla.-based Dockerty Romer arranged the 10-year loan with a fixed interest rate at 4.25 percent. McCleary arranged the loan through a South Florida-based bank on behalf of the borrower, Wahe Guru Group LLC.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc. has secured $25.1 million in property level debt financing for the previously-closed acquisition of the 168-room Lakeway Resort & Spa in Austin. The financing has a two-year term and three, one-year extension options, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The interest-only loan provides for a floating interest rate 5.1 percent. Ashford Hospitality Trust is a real estate investment trust focused on investing in the hospitality industry across all segments.
LANCASTER, PA. — Cronheim Hotel Capital (CHC) has secured a $7.5 million loan for the acquisition of Sleep Inn and Mainstay Suites in Lancaster. CHC financed the purchase at 75 percent of the acquisition price with a 10-year, fixed-rate loan featuring a 27-year amortization schedule locked at 4.39 percent. The two hotels, which are located adjacent to each other, were acquired for $10 million from a local owner/operator. The hotel total 151 keys and offer transient and extended-stay products. David Turley, Janet Proscia and Jeffrey Pacailler of CHC arranged the financing for the undisclosed borrower.
SAN DIEGO — The Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians has commenced construction on a second hotel tower for the Viejas Casino in Alpine. The casino is located at 5000 Willows Road, just northeast of San Diego. The four-star resort project features a new five-story, 109-room hotel tower that will include a top-floor technology suite. The project will also include additional space on the gaming floor, a specialty bar, ballroom, meeting and board rooms, resort-style pool and extensive multi-use grounds. The new tower is slated for completion in November. It is being built by Xpera CM. The locally based construction management consulting firm has worked on other resort and gaming projects throughout the West, including the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Stowe Mountain Lodge, Trump National in Los Angeles and Sycuan Resort and Casino.