AUSTIN, TEXAS — Hilton Hotels Corp. has chosen Austin as a future location for its freshly-unveiled Denizen Hotels brand. Other locations include Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Los Cabos and Mumbai. The chain of hotels is being touted as a global lifestyle brand that is targeted toward corporate and leisure guests. Initial plans for the hotel chain, such as features or size specifications of the properties, are not being released.
MILWAUKEE — InterContinental Hotels Group has opened the Staybridge Suites Milwaukee Airport South, a 118-room hotel located near the General Mitchell International Airport in the Milwaukee metro area. The $12 million hotel is the first Staybridge Suites in the city, and one of three scheduled to open this year in the metro area. The other two are underway in downtown Milwaukee and suburban Oconomowoc, Wis. The all-suite, extended-stay hotel, which is located at 9575 S. 27th St. in Franklin, Wis., is owned by Franklin Hotel Company and is managed by The Bricton Group.
PEORIA, ILL. — EM Properties has plans to develop a luxury hotel in downtown Peoria. The 500-room, Marriott-branded hotel will include the renovated Hotel Pere Marquette, as well as a new 14-story, glass-curtained tower on an adjacent site. A 500-car parking deck, which will include ground-floor retail and restaurant space, is also being constructed. Both the hotel and garage will be connected to the Peoria Civic Center via an elevated walkway. The $102 million project represents a public/private partnership, with the City of Peoria providing approximately $40 million through a bond issuance. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the fourth quarter, with completion slated for 2012.
NORTHBROOK, ILL. — InterContinental Hotels Group has unveiled the seven-story, 318-room Crowne Plaza Chicago-Northbrook, which is situated north of Chicago just 9 miles from O’Hare International Airport. The hotel has just completed a $16 million renovation from the Radisson flag, and changes include upgrades to all public areas, new meeting rooms, renovated guestrooms and an expanded business center. The hotel, which is owned and managed by Bays Hospitality Corp., is located at 27785 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Northbrook.
TAMPA, FLA. — Atlanta-based InterContinental Hotels Group is nearly finished with its remodel of MHI Hospitality Corp.’s 222-unit Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore, which should deliver early this month. The property is located at 5303 W. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa. The hotel features a 24-hour business center, more than 9,000 square feet of meeting space, a pool and a restaurant.
LAS VEGAS — The grand opening has been held for M Resort Spa Casino, a $1 billion resort located at the intersection of South Las Vegas Boulevard and St. Rose Parkway in Las Vegas. Situated on more than 90 acres on the Las Vegas Strip, the project was developed by Anthony Marnell III, chairman and CEO of M Resort, and Tony Marnell, chairman of Marnell Corrao Associates. The hotel portion of the resort features 390 guestrooms and suites ranging in size from 550 to 2,400 square feet. M Resort also contains nine restaurants and five destination bars, including a buffet, an Italian restaurant, a steak and seafood restaurant, a wine bar, a patisserie, a deli, a Mediterranean restaurant and a top-floor lounge. Entertainment options include a casino with 1,900 slot machines, a 12-table poker room, 64 game tables, and a race and sports book betting arena. The 100,000-square-foot Villaggio Del Sole Pool & Entertainment Piazza features a pool, concerts and other special events. The resort also includes the 23,000-square-foot Spa Mio. Finally, M Resort contains more than 60,000 square feet of conference space, including a 17,400-square-foot ballroom, multiple reception areas and a business center.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Shree Sambhav LLC has sold the 96-room Comfort Inn of Columbia/Ft. Jackson to South Carolina Sunshine Hotel Group for an undisclosed price. The three-story property is located in Columbia. The buyer plans to undertake renovations to the hotel and retain its brand. Matt Winston of The Mumford Co.’s Newport News, Va., office, Randy Lee of the firm’s Dallas office and Steve Kirby of Mumford’s Atlanta office represented the seller.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — R-Roof V-I has sold a 112-room Red Roof Inn to Chattanooga-based Ganesh Hotel Group for an undisclosed price. The buyer will undertake renovations to the 34,000-square-foot property, which is located near the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Chattanooga. Atlanta-based Hodges Ward Elliott’s focused service division represented the seller, and Ganesh was represented in house.
ALLEN, TEXAS — The topping out ceremony has been held for the Courtyard by Marriott Dallas – Allen Hotel & Conference Center, located in Allen. The hotel totals nine stories with 228 rooms and an adjoining 15,000-square-foot conference center. It features a full-service restaurant, a 24-hour convenience store, a lounge with big-screen televisions, a business center, an indoor swimming pool and whirlpool, and a fitness center. The conference center features a 9,300-square-foot ballroom with a 1,300-person capacity. The project is owned by John Q. Hammons and will be operated by Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts. Crossland Construction is serving as general contractor. Completion of the project is scheduled for October 2008. The new Courtyard by Marriott is situated at 210 E. Stacy Rd. within the Village at Allen, one component of Dallas-based MGHerring Group’s 3 million-square-foot Village at Allen and Village at Fairview mixed-use project. The Village at Allen component opened in October 2008. The new hotel will be located adjacent to the new $50 million Allen Event Center, a 7,500-person venue that is slated to open in November.
WINCHESTER, VA. — Mumford Co. has completed the sale of the Comfort Inn – North, an 82-room hotel located at 1601 Martinsburg Pike in Winchester. David Mumford of Mumford Co.’s Newport News, Va., office and Steve Kirby of the firm’s Atlanta office represented the seller, an affiliate of Beck Co. The buyer, RDM Hospitality LLC, acquired the property for an undisclosed amount.