PHILADELPHIA — HEI Hotels & Resorts has acquired Le Méridien, a 202-room hotel located in the Center City district of Philadelphia. The 10-story hotel, located at 1421 Arch St., was developed by Memphis, Tenn.-based Development Services Group as an adaptive reuse of the former YMCA building. The hotel features 5,330 square feet of meeting space, a bar, a gourmet restaurant and a fitness center. HEI plans to operate the hotel as well once it opens in May.
ATLANTA — University Heights Atlanta Acquisitions has sold the 157-unit Suites Hotel to Frontline Management of Philadelphia in an all-cash transaction. Located at Underground Atlanta in the city's downtown area, the property will undergo significant renovations. The buyer will also rebrand the hotel as Comfort Suites Hotel Downtown/Atlanta Convention Center. Anthony A. Falor of Hodges Ward Elliot represented the seller.
RICHMOND, VA. — Choate Construction Co. has broken ground on the $66 million renovation of the John Marshall Hotel for Dominion Realty Partners and Virginia Atlantic Development. The 16-story property, located in downtown Richmond, will be transformed into a 238-unit apartment complex. Rule, Joy, Trammell + Rubio designed the renovation. The project will be complete by the summer of 2011.
MIAMI — GFII DVI Cardel Doral has sold the 121-room Hampton Inn & Suites Miami-West to Apple Real Estate Investment Trust for an undisclosed amount. The Miami property features a pool, a fitness room, 570 square feet of meeting space and a business center. Mark Fair and Chris Dewey of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels represented the seller.
PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS — A private Texas-based partnership has sold a 72-room Hampton Inn & Suites to a Maryland-based buyer for an undisclosed amount. The property, which was built in 2007 on 1.61 acres of land, is located at 7660 Memorial Blvd. in Port Arthur. Michael Yu and Rahul Bijlani of Marcus & Millichap's Houston office brokered the sale.
ASPEN, COLO. — Aspen Skiing Co. has purchased the Limelight Lodge, located at 355 S. Monarch Street in Aspen, from a group including Denver-based Szymanski Development Partners, the hotel's developer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Pete Dordick of HVS advised on the sale.
ST. CHARLES, MD. — Shamin Hotels has opened the 130-room Hilton Garden Inn Waldorf at the intersection of St. Partick's Drive and Smallwood Drive in St. Charles. The 80,886-square-foot property features a 2,465-square-foot ballroom, a convenience market, a business center, a workout facility and a pool. St. Charles is a 9,100-acre planned community that is being positioned as a model of sustainable development.
ROSSFORD, OHIO — Orlando, Fla.-based Mohammed Merchant has purchased The Country Inn & Suites in Rossford. Located at 9790 Clark Drive, the property offers 80 guestrooms, a fitness center, an indoor pool and high-speed Internet access. Rossford Lodge sold the hotel for $4.8 million. Eric Belfrage of CB Richard Ellis|Hotels represented the seller in the transaction.
SAN ANTONIO — Gibbs Master Tenant LLC has opened the 91-room Hotel Indigo San Antonio at the Alamo, the fourth Hotel Indigo property in Texas. The San Antonio hotel is located in the 100-year-old Gibbs Building, which was the first office property built in the city. While retaining its original woodwork and marble, the building was outfitted with features including a business center, a fitness center and gourmet dining options. TNJ Management will oversee day-to-day operations of the hotel.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —Shree HariKrishna has purchased a three-story Sleep Inn from Quality Oil Co. for an undisclosed amount. The 12-year-old property is located on Interstate 40 near Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem. The buyer will retain the Sleep Inn brand, but will undertake cosmetic renovations. David Mumford and Steve Kirby of Mumford Co. represented the seller in the transaction.