LONG BEACH, CALIF. — Long Beach-based Ensemble Real Estate is developing Long Beach Residence Inn, which is located at 600 Queensway Dr. in Long Beach. The 178-room hotel offers 139 studios, 29 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom rooms. The 11-story, 135,000-square-foot project is slated to cost $30 million. Marina del Rey, Calif.-based Cuningham Group is providing architectural services for the project; Seattle-based Johnson Braund Design Group Inc. is providing interior design services. R.D. Olson Construction is serving as general contractor for the project, which is fast-tracked for completion in summer 2009.
INDIANAPOLIS — InterContinental Hotels Group has opened the 113-room Staybridge Suites Indianapolis City Centre hotel located adjacent to the new Lucas Oil Stadium at 535 S. West St. The facility, which is the area’s third Staybridge Suites hotel, features a complimentary daily breakfast buffet, workout facilities, a 24-hour convenience store and the brand’s Just Like Home Theater. Missouri Hotel Partners is the owner; Dora Brothers Hospitality — under a license agreement with a company affiliated with InterContinental Hotels Group — manages the Staybridge Suites Indianapolis City Centre. The total cost of construction was not disclosed.
PEORIA, ILL. — Roswell, Ga.-based Randall-Paulson Architects has been selected to design interior and exterior renovations for the 111-room Jameson Inn & Suites located at 4112 N. Brandywine Dr. in Peoria. The first phase of renovations to the 58,138-square-foot hotel, which is near completion, includes interior improvements to guest rooms and suite, as well as the lobby and common areas. Exterior renovations are slated for completion before winter, and will include a new drive-through canopy entrance and an enclosed swimming pool. The cost of renovations was not disclosed.
BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIF. — McSam Hotel Group has acquired Northwoods Resort and Conference Center, a 148-room hotel located at 40650 Village Dr. in Big Bear Lake, for $12.5 million. Built in 1995, the four-story hotel features Stillwells Restaurant and Lounge, a gift shop, a pool, a whirlpool, a sauna, an exercise room and an outdoor amphitheatre. Scott Clawson of Marcus & Millichap’s Chicago office, along with Michael Goldstein of Packard Hospitality, represented the buyer; Robert Brauchli and Jigar Patel of Marcus & Millichap’s San Diego office represented the seller, WWW Asset One Corp., in the transaction.
HAMPTON, VA. — Henry F. Brandenstein sold the Hampton Bay Plaza and Suites, located at Interstate 64 and Mercury Boulevard in Hampton, to CAAP Hospitality, a local investment group with plans to renovate and redevelop the building, for $2.3 million. David Mumford of the Mumford Company’s Newport News headquarters represented the seller.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — On behalf of Airport Core Hotel LLC, Brackett Builders has broken ground on the 185-suite Embassy Suites Columbus-Airport located near Port Columbus International Airport. As the third Embassy Suites property in Columbus, the hotel is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2009. The facility will feature Design Option III and a Flying Spoons casual dining restaurant. Jerry Bird of Bird Houk Collaborative is providing architectural services for the project. The estimated cost of completion was not disclosed.
SAN ANTONIO — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 62-room Super 8 Motel located at 5336 Wurzback Rd. in San Antonio. Alan Miller of Marcus & Millichap’s Austin, Texas, office, along with Michael Yu and Rahul Bijlani of the firm’s Houston office, represented the seller, a Texas-based partnership. Miller also secured the West Texas-based buyer. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
LA VISTA, NEB. — Hotelier John Q. Hammons has opened the 257-suite Embassy Suites Omaha/La Vista — Hotel & Conference Center located at 12520 Westport Pkwy. in La Vista. Adjacent to the seven-story facility is a 100,000-square-foot conference center, which includes a grand ballroom that can host approximately 2,000 people. Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts will manage the hotel. The development complex also includes Hammons’ 246-unit Courtyard by Marriott, which is slated for completion in spring 2009. Courtyard by Marriott will be connected to the La Vista Conference Center through a glass walkway.
ROCHESTER, MINN. — Viking Hospitality Fund has announced plans to develop a 124-room Hampton Inn & Suites located at the corner of 59th Street and Bandel Road NW in Rochester. Situated on a 2.3-acre site, the facility will be managed by Prism Hotels & Resorts. The building is slated for completion in mid-2009. Viking Hospitality, which builds hotels nationally under the Hilton and Marriott brands, was formed as a joint venture between Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts, Des Moines, Iowa-based SeaCys Holdings and Atlanta-based Hotel Assets Group.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIF. — The first Starwood aloft Hotel by W in the United States had opened within the $60 million mixed-use development HavenPark in Rancho Cucamonga. The aloft is the newest brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. The 136-room aloft Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga is one of the 18 aloft hotels slated to open this year. Guestrooms feature loft-like 9-foot ceilings and oversized windows, high-tech office and entertainment centers, wireless Internet access, plug & play technology, and large, flat-screen HDTV-ready televisions. Chicago-based The John Buck Company partnered with Interstate Hotels to develop the aloft.