WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. hotel sector posted its highest average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) on record, according to 2023 data from CoStar. ADR ended the year at $155.62, a 4.3 percent increase compared to year-end 2022, and RevPAR settled at $97.97, a 4.9 percent hike from 2022. Additionally, the U.S. hotel industry enjoyed its highest occupancy levels since 2019. The occupancy rate at year-end was 63 percent, a 60-basis-point increase year-over-year. Among the top 25 markets tracked by CoStar, New York City experienced the highest occupancy rate (81.6 percent, up 8.8 percent year-over-year), ADR ($301.22, up 8.5 percent) and RevPAR ($245.77, a 18.1 percent hike). New Orleans and Miami recorded the only RevPAR decreases, falling 6.8 percent and 6.7 percent year-over-year, respectively.
MIAMI — Gencom has retaken the majority ownership of Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, a 291-room hotel located at 455 Grand Bay Drive in Miami’s barrier island of Key Biscayne. The locally based company developed the 17-acre resort in 2000 and later sold the majority stake to a privately held REIT in a three-property portfolio deal valued at $750 million. Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne includes several swimming pools; 1,000 feet of beach frontage; six restaurants, bars and cafes; 37,000 square feet of meeting space; health and wellness amenities including a fitness center, tennis center and spa; and 188 condo-hotel units, which were not part of the acquisition. Citigroup and affiliates of KSL Capital Partners LLC provided financing for Gencom’s purchase, the terms of which were not disclosed. Gencom is planning a $100 million overhaul of the 13-story hotel that is slated to start in 2025. The renovation will include major upgrades to the guestrooms, food-and-beverage offerings, public spaces and guest amenities.
SARASOTA, FLA. — Colliers has arranged the $30.5 million sale of Glengary Shoppes, a 95,489-square-foot shopping center located along South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. University Park, Fla.-based Benderson Development purchased the property from Jacksonville-based REIT Regency Centers. Brad Peterson and Whitaker Leonhardt of Colliers represented the seller in the transaction. Built in 1995, Glengary Shoppes was 97 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. Regions Bank and IHOP occupy outparcels at the shopping center.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — Equitas Management Group has completed renovations for One Park Place, a 57,000-square-foot office building located at 6148 Lee Highway in Chattanooga. The property is fully leased to tenants including Equitas Management and EMJ, a general contractor that oversaw the renovations as well as constructed the building originally in 1984. Other tenants include medical, legal and financial services tenants, among others. Designed by HK Architects, the renovations include a new sleek black exterior, updated atrium, modernized offices and conference spaces and a grand balcony.
ALPHARETTA, GA. — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $14.5 million sale of Woodside Terrace, a four-story office building located at 3755 Mansell Road in Alpharetta, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The vacant property spans 123,982 square feet and is situated on a 9.9-acre site. Bob Johnson and Paul Johnson of Marcus & Millichap’s Atlanta office represented the seller, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), in the transaction. The buyer is Free Chapel Worship Center. The office building features an onsite café, fitness center, lakeside patio area and a fully operational TV and recording studio. Marcus & Millichap also represented RZIM when the company purchased the asset in 2016.
CARROLLTON, GA. — Matthews Real Estate Investment Services has brokered the $5.9 million sale of The Cottages UWG, a 26-unit student housing community located at 324 Brumbelow Road near the University of West Georgia (UWG) campus in Carrollton. Developed in 2013, the property spans 37,760 square feet and was 98 percent occupied at the time of sale. Austin Graham of Matthews represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer, a Florida-based investor, has development rights to add 42 beds to the property.
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — WaterWalk has opened a 126-room extended stay hotel and apartment living property at 1550 Perimeter Parkway in Huntsville, the first Alabama property for the lodging brand and its 12th total. WaterWalk Huntsville comprises 76 fully furnished hotel rooms and 50 apartments that range in size from studios to two-bedroom units. All units feature kitchens with full-size appliances, a pantry and a kitchen island. Additionally, each unit features full-size washers and dryers, as well as bathrooms that include vanities with storage space and walk-in showers. Amenities include a lobby lounge, fitness center, outdoor pool and a patio with a fire pit, lawn games and grilling areas.
BRUNSWICK, GA. — Buc-ee’s will develop a 74,000-square-foot travel center in Brunswick, a coastal Georgia city midway between Savannah and Jacksonville along I-95. Construction is scheduled to begin Jan. 29. Upon completion, the property will feature 120 fueling stations, as well as a store offering snack, meal and drink options. Buc-ee’s currently operates 47 stores throughout its home state of Texas, as well as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Missouri and Tennessee. The company is also underway on two travel centers in Virginia — one near Richmond along I-64 and another near Harrisonburg along I-81.
LEXINGTON, KY. — RD1 Spirts has signed on to join as an anchor tenant at The Commons, a 40-acre mixed-use development in downtown Lexington. The locally based bourbon brand plans to invest $4.8 million to develop the two-story distillery at 113 Turner Commons Way, which will span 10,215 square feet and include an entrance off Main Street. The venue will include outdoor seating on both levels, four private tasting rooms, a glass-enclosed research-and-development space for wood finishing for RD1’s bourbon barrels, VIP speakeasy tasting room, craft cocktail bar and a gift shop. The venue will also include an 800-gallon pot, 175-gallon pot still, 750-gallon fermenter and a 1,000-gallon mash cooker that will cumulatively produce a barrel of bourbon per week. RD1 plans to open the distillery in August and support 11 full-time employees. The project team features law firm McBrayer and engineering firm VITOK, both out of Louisville, as well as architectural and design firm Lord Aeck Sargent. Ron Hardwick, a Louisville bourbon expert and shareholder of RD1, plans to lead the distillery design at the new venue. RD1 received approval for $521,000 in incentives from the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority to help finance the project. In addition to …
ROYAL PALM BEACH, FLA. — CBRE has arranged a 42,143-square-foot industrial lease within Royal Palm Logistics Center, an industrial property located at 1131 N. State Road 7 in Royal Palm Beach, a city in South Florida’s Palm Beach County. The tenant, Bush Brothers Provision Co., is a family-owned meat packing and distribution company based in nearby West Palm Beach. Set to open its new space in August, the move represents the first relocation for Bush Brothers since 1925, according to CBRE. The tenant plans to create 25 new positions in addition to its existing 65-person workforce. Kirk Nelson, Robert Smith and Jeff Kelly of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. The developer is McCraney Property Co. Royal Palm Logistics Center features 32-foot clear heights, an ESFR sprinkler system and dock-high and grade-level loading.