NATIONAL REPORT—Hotels are breaking ground, undergoing renovations and entering partnerships for projects across the U.S. Here’s a look at what’s in the works:
Raffles Boston Bay Hotel & Residences Breaks Ground
Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences has broken ground, projected to open in early 2022. The 33-story, more than $400 million project will be the first mixed-use property in North America for the hospitality brand. The property will have 147 guestrooms, 146 branded residences and six food and beverage venues. Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences is being developed in a joint venture between Trinity Stuart LLC, which is a partnership between hoteliers Gary and Jeffrey Saunders of Saunders Hotel Group and developer Jordan Warshaw of The Noannet Group, together with their equity partner Cain International. Accor is the hotel management partner, and Madison Realty Capital is providing $314 million in construction financing.
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment Enters Partnership for Vegas Property
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) has entered into a multi-year agreement with JC Hospitality to operate the 60,000-sq-ft. gaming space at the soon to be Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, contingent on the successful completion of construction and pending MGE’s regulatory approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission. The property recently announced an agreement with AEG Presents to assume the management, operations and booking for The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas beginning fall 2020 once the property is rebranded as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The eight-month renovation is slated to begin in early February 2020 and the re-imagined Las Vegas lifestyle casino resort is slated to open at the end of 2020.
Lakeside Property in the Works in New York
New York-based design firm Studio Tack and family-owned design house The Brooklyn Home Company have collaborated on a new hotel, The Lake House on Canandaigua, bringing a blend of art, craft and healthful designs to the Finger Lakes. The Lake House—a ground-up, multi-building property—is the Sands family’s first independently-owned hotel. Envisioned by The Brooklyn Home Company, led by brother- sister developer Bill Caleo, designer Lyndsay Caleo and her artist husband Fitzhugh Karol, the hotel will open in summer 2020 on the base of Canandaigua Lake. The 125-room hotel will have food and beverage options and indoor and outdoor event space
Historic Bank Conversion in the Works in Flint, MI
A new Hilton Garden Inn is set to open in downtown Flint, MI in 2020, with a transformation underway inside the former Genesee County Savings Bank Building. Based on an original design by Tracy & Swartout, the historic 11-story building was Flint’s second skyscraper when it opened in 1920. The current transformation will result in a 101-room Hilton Garden Inn with a restaurant, meeting spaces and rooftop deck. The hotel will be managed by Crescent Hotels and Resorts. Flint-based firms DW Lurvey Co. and Sorenson Gross are jointly managing construction of the project. Detroit-based Kraemer Design Group is the architect, interior designer and historic consultant.
Mixed-Use Project Breaks Ground in Bellevue, WA
Following the official groundbreaking ceremony for the more than $1 billion Avenue Bellevue project, Fortress Development has new details and artist renderings for the development’s West Tower, the second of its two towers. With construction now underway, the luxury residential, hotel and retail development will open in downtown Bellevue, WA in summer 2022. Avenue’s West Tower will include 224 homes, known as “The Residences at Avenue Bellevue” spread through the 25-floor building.
Arizona Hotel Undergoes Renovation
The Tuxon, an independent boutique hotel in Tucson, AZ is scheduled to open this winter, with additional amenities coming online summer 2020. The hotel has undergone a renovation with 112 guestrooms, and in 2020, will have updated food and beverage options, public spaces and an indoor and outdoor bar. The Tuxon is operated by Tucson, AZ-based Focus Hospitality Management.
Aparium Hotel Group to Open Surety Hotel in Des Moines, IA
Aparium Hotel Group will open the Surety Hotel in Des Moines, IA in spring 2020. The 12-story, 138-key boutique hotel will be located in downtown Des Moines’ historic financial and insurance district. The property will have a restaurant and bar, Mulberry Street Tavern, meeting and event spaces including a 200-person ballroom and a private outdoor courtyard. Aparium Hotel Group has partnered with design firm DLR Group and Slingshot Architecture for the project’s design.
Hilton Garden Inn to Open at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport
The St. Joe Company reveals the Hilton Garden Inn as the brand of its future hotel at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Watersound, FL. St. Joe intends to construct the hotel near the corner of Venture Crossings Boulevard and West Bay Parkway at the entrance of the VentureCrossings Enterprise Centre. Set to be complete by 2021, the Hilton Garden Inn will have 143 guestrooms, meeting space and a full-service restaurant.
