BATON ROUGE, LA. — Milton J. Womack Inc. has started work on the 48,000-square-foot Hotel Indigo Downtown Baton Rouge Riverfront, a 93-room renovation of the historic Hotel King. The $25 million property will be located at the intersection of Convention and Lafayette streets in Baton Rouge. Funding for the project was secured through Historic Tax Credits, private equity sources and New Market Tax Credits. Coleman Partners Architects designed the building, which will deliver late next year.
BLOOMINGTON, MINN. — Holiday Inn Bloomington Airport I-35, which is managed by North Liberty, Iowa-based Kinseth Hospitality Cos., is currently undergoing the Holiday Inn brand relaunch. The renovated the hotel now features improved signage, new outdoor lighting, landscaping, a redesigned lobby and reception desk, high-speed Internet access, an indoor pool, a whirlpool and Green Mill Restaurant & Bar. The guest rooms feature signature comfort bedding, four-function showerheads, granite vanities and 100 percent ultra soft cotton linens. The hotel is located at 1201 W. 94th St. in Bloomington.
CLEARWATER, FLA. — Fidelity Bank has sold a 50-room Econo Lodge in Clearwater to Debary Hospitality for an undisclosed price. The hotel, which was in foreclosure, will be rebranded as a Super 8. Ken Olipra of Clearwater-based Greene, Canfield, DeGeorge represented the seller.
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA. — HREC Investment Advisors has completed the sale of the Park Ridge Hotel, a 265-room hotel located in King of Prussia. The buyer, Philadelphia-based Wurzak Hotel Group, plans to eventually redevelop the hotel into two hotels, an Element and a Sheraton/Westin. Geoff Davis of HREC represented the seller, Starwood Hotels. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
LAKE FOREST, CALIF. — InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is opening Holiday Inn Irvine South/Irvine Spectrum, which is located at 23131 Lake Center Dr. in Lake Forest. The 148-room hotel features an outdoor pool and spa, a sundries shop with ATM, iPhone docking stations with radio alarms in each guestroom, Kem’s Restaurant and 900 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is owned and managed by SoCal Hospitality LLC under a license agreement with a company in IHG.
SAN ANTONIO — Phoenix Hospitality Group has announced plans to rebrand the Radisson San Antonio Market Square, a 250-room hotel located at 502 W. Durango Blvd., as a Doubletree by Hilton. Phoenix developed the hotel in 1992 and currently manages it. The company will complete an approximately $7 million renovation that will include new guest rooms, restaurant facilities and common areas. The renovated hotel will feature 20 oversized suites, 8,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a fitness center, concierge service, and an outdoor pool and hot tub. The hotel will remain open during construction and is slated for a spring 2010 completion.
HOUMA, LA. — K Partners Hospitality Group of San Antonio has begun construction on the 144-room Courtyard by Marriott Houma. The $22 million development will be located adjacent to the 100,000-square-foot Houma Civic Center. Hotel features include 7,000 square feet of meeting space, a swimming pool, an exercise room and a business center.
LUBBOCK, TEXAS — The Overton Hotel and Conference Center, a 303-room hotel located in Lubbock, has opened. The $66 million project was developed as a public/private partnership between the City of Lubbock, owner/operator 1859 Historic Hotels Ltd. and developer Garfield Traub Development. It totals 15 stories and contains more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including an 11,250-square-foot ballroom. Amenities include a business center, a fitness center, a restaurant, a bar and an outdoor pool. The second floor of the hotel also contains a classroom for the Restaurant/Hotel & Institutional Management program at nearby Texas Tech University. The general contractors for the project were Turner Construction Co. and Lee Lewis Contractors. The project architect was DLR Group.
PLAINFIELD, IND. — The new Best Western Atrea Airport Inn & Suites has opened in Plainfield. The hotel contains 67 rooms and features more than 700 square feet of meeting space, an indoor pool and spa, a steam room, a business center, a 24-hour fitness center and a cocktail lounge. The new hotel marks the third Best Western Atrea prototype to open. The concept caters to business travelers seeking an upper midscale hotel.
NEW YORK CITY — Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman has arranged a $43 million loan for the refinancing of the Courtyard Marriott Manhattan/Midtown East in New York City. Situated on Third Avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets. the hotel contains 312 rooms and was constructed in 1998. Mark Gordon, Jared Kelso and Alison Tan of Sonnenblick Goldman represented the borrower, DiamondRock Hospitality Co. Terms of the loan and the lender were undisclosed.