SAN ANTONIO — Miami-based Aztec Group has secured approximately $28 million in construction financing for the development of a Courtyard and a Residence Inn in the La Cantera neighborhood of San Antonio. The two hotels will be located adjacent to The RIM, an 800-acre mixed-use development currently in the final stages of construction. The Courtyard will contain 120 rooms and the Residence Inn will contain 140 rooms. Both are set to begin construction this month. They will be developed and operated by Raleigh, N.C.-based Concord Hospitality. Boaz Ashbel and Jason Shapiro of Aztec originated the financing. Terms of the loan were not disclosed.
HOUSTON — Houston-based Valencia Group has announced plans to build a new luxury hotel at CityCentre, Midway Cos.’ 37-acre mixed-use development located between Interstate 10 and Sam Houston Tollway in Houston. The 245-room hotel will be known as Hotel Sorella; it will feature Luce, a Moroccan-style bar, as well as an open-air courtyard with a pool, cabanas and swing daybeds. Guestrooms will feature European styling, dark hardwood floors and luxury amenities. The interior designer for the project is Peter Remedios of Remedios Siembieda. The groundbreaking date was not released.
LANCASTER, CALIF. — San Antonio-based K Partners Hospitality Group LP has opened Hampton Inn & Suites in Lancaster. The first hotel of a two-hotel complex, which the company is developing, the 85-room Hampton Inn & Suites will feature a heated indoor pool, ample meeting and workspace, complimentary breakfast and On the Run Breakfast Bag and 24-hour coffee available in the lobby. The guestrooms feature Hampton’s signature double queen- and king-sized Cloud Nine beds, complimentary high-speed Internet access, free local calls and in-room movie channels. The second hotel, a 92-room Homewood Suites, is slated to open in September.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Merrillville, Ind.-based White Lodging has broken ground for the construction of a 145-room Courtyard by Marriott in Austin. Individual rooms will include flat-screen televisions; the hotel will also contain kiosk reception stations and an interactive go-board that displays local traffic, weather and other information. Completion is scheduled to open in late 2009. White Lodging is Austin’s largest hotel owner/operator with a local portfolio of 16 hotels.
NORMAN, OKLA. — Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts is advancing construction for the 283-room Embassy Suites Norman Hotel & Conference Center located at 2501 Conference Dr. in Norman. The 10-story building will be part of the new University North Park mixed-use development, which is located two miles away from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to the suites, the hotel will feature 75,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The new hotel will mark John Q. Hammons’ fifth hotel in Oklahoma. The grand opening is scheduled for late October.
NEW YORK CITY — Philadelphia-based Hersha Hospitality Trust (HHT) has opened The Nu, a 93-room hotel located inside Boymelgreen Development’s condo project at the corner of Smith Street and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City. HHT purchased an interest in the building for $17.24 million, and has spent an additional $6 million completing the hotel. Rates are expected to range from $200 to $400 per room once the hotel is fully operational.
JACKSON, MISS. — Jones Lang LaSalle has brokered Humble Hospitality’s $6.8 million sale of a 107-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Jackson to Jackson Express Hotel Investment. The property features 35 suites, a business center and a fitness center.
NORMAL, ILL. — Atlanta-based InterContinental Hotels Group has begun renovations for a 160-room Crowne Plaza hotel located at 8 Traders Circle in Normal. The former Holiday Inn will undergo $11.5 million in renovations before opening in the fourth quarter of this year as the Crowne Plaza Bloomington-Normal. Renovations include a new guest tower roof, new exterior surfaces and all-new guestroom soft goods. Amenities at the five-story facility include an indoor pool, a 24-hour fitness center, and restaurant and lounge. The hotel will feature more than 9,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space. Normal Hospitality LLC owns the facility; Global Hotel Management of Normal manages the property.
ALISO VIEJO, CALIF. — Renaissance Hotel & Resorts has opened Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo Hotel & Fitness Resort within Summit Office Campus, a 1.7 million-square-foot mixed-use business complex in Aliso Viejo. The boutique-style hotel, sports and fitness resort offers 174 guestrooms, a 75,000-square-foot world-class fitness facility, 5,500 square feet of flexible meeting space and a restaurant and lounge. Managed by Marriott for Leisure Sports Inc. and R.D. Olsen, the property is a world-class hotel, sports and fitness concept that caters to both business and leisure travelers. The fitness center features a 12,000-square-foot fitness area, an outdoor aquatic area with two swimming pools and a splash ‘n play area for children, a whirlpool and a garden patio area for dining or special events.
GLEN ELLYN, ILL. — This month, Atlanta-based InterContinental Hotels Group will open the Crowne Plaza Glen Ellyn-Lombard located at 1250 Roosevelt Rd. in Glen Ellyn. The 148,000-square-foot hotel, which has been renovated from a Holiday Inn, contains 119 rooms, including nine two-room suites. Environmentally sound aspects of the facility include a guest recycling program, low-emissivity windows and the Glen Prairie Restaurant, which supports sustainable farming practices. Additionally, the hotel offers 9,400 square feet of meeting space in seven meeting rooms. Glen Ellyn Hospitality LLC owns the property; F & F Realty manages the facility.