Seven Projects Rising in the South

NATIONAL REPORT—New-construction hotel projects dot the landscape of the South. Here’s a closer look at what’s coming soon:

Hotel Effie Sandestin to Debut in Northwest Florida in 2020

Hotel Effie Sandestin, from Sandestin Investments LLC, is set to open in early summer 2020 in Northwest Florida. The hotel will have 250 guestrooms with multiple room types, a three-meal restaurant, craft cocktail lobby bar, and in-room dining all curated by Chef Hugh Acheson. It will also have a luxury spa, fitness center, the only rooftop pool on Florida’s Emerald Coast and 20,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including a 13,000-sq. ft. ballroom.

The hotel’s interior, created by Design Continuum Inc., takes inspiration from the locale. Sandy limestone floors and a palette of natural textures will form the neutral envelope while chartreuse will highlight interior features. Linear grained gray wood will be utilized as a contemporary framework throughout and will be paired with classic linen and mixed maritime metals, as displayed in the lobby pilasters with large-scale sconces. Movement in the floor patterning will echo dunes and water upon shore grounded by substantial cleft-face stone slab walls. Light fixtures are inspired by naval lamps and will be elevated with crystal and glass accents.

Highgate will manage the newly developed hotel. Hotel Effie is being constructed by Batson-Cook. Cooper Carry is the architect for the hotel project.

Dream Hotels Coming to Downtown Memphis, TN

Hotel and brand management company Dream Hotel Group, in partnership with real estate developer 18Main, plans to bring its Dream Hotels brand to Downtown Memphis, set to open in 2022. Dream Memphis will mark the second Dream Hotels location in Tennessee, following the opening of Dream Nashville earlier this year. The boutique hotel will have 178 guestrooms and four dining and nightlife venues, including a signature restaurant, lobby lounge, coffee shop and rooftop bar with indoor and outdoor event space.

Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham-Nashville Nears Opening

Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham-Nashville, a proposed future resort, is scheduled to open in December.

The resort’s 52 vacation club suites will draw inspiration from Jimmy Buffett’s early days as an up-and-coming songwriter in Nashville in the late 1960s, infusing bohemian design elements with tropical vibes. Vacation club owners will be able to satisfy their Caribbean soul in a Studio or Studio Deluxe suite with saw horse furniture, crates full of vinyl records, exposed brick walls and wood floors. The apartment-style suites will include mini kitchens and separate living and dining areas.

The property will also be home to Radio Margaritaville’s Nashville studio, heard worldwide on SiriusXM Channel 24. Live broadcasts, special guests and a mix of Jimmy Buffett, island, rock, reggae, country and folk will hit the airwaves from a new studio in the lobby, bringing the sounds of the tropics to Nashville.

The new vacation club offering is located within the 217-room Margaritaville Hotel Nashville when it opens in tandem with the vacation ownership suites later this year.

Two New Properties Underway in NC

Ground preparation begins soon for two new Strand Hospitality development projects in North Carolina.

The Home2 Suites by Hilton in Belmont, NC, is scheduled to break ground in mid-to-late August. Due to this hotel’s location and association with Belmont Abbey, the project will include custom features and upgrades similar to those found at the Hampton Inn Charlotte-Belmont@Montcross, which is under the same ownership.

A little farther north near the intersection of I-77 and I-40, a groundbreaking is expected sometime in October for the Fairfield Inn & Suites Statesville, NC. Both properties are projected to open in late 2020.

Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront to Launch Early 2020

Gold Key | PHR’s $125-million oceanfront hotel, the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront in Coastal Virginia, is projected to open in early 2020.

The Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront is the second phase in a three-phase, $350-million masterplan, which includes The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club, The Cavalier Residences, 42 Ocean luxury condominiums, the new Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront, and a phase three that will include an additional hotel.

The new 305-room Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel will employ more than 365 associates and will include more than 25,000 sq. ft. of function space, signature restaurants featuring eclectic rooftop dining and panoramic views, and multiple bars throughout. The hotel will also feature a 2,400 sq.-ft. M Club Lounge.

Dallas Hotel Project Planned

A hotel and mixed-use development is being planned for uptown Dallas. Developer Ryan Cos along with architect GFF and Greenway Investment will build the mixed-use project that will include office, residential, hotel and retail buildings.

Plans call for the office tower to be built on Cedar Springs at Routh, with the residential building to the east across from the Quadrangle. A high-rise hotel would occupy the corner of Cedar Springs and Fairmount. Much of the block is now occupied by small retail buildings and surface parking lots.

Cos and GFF plan to build a park through the center of the new high-rise complex and put all the parking underground. Cos intends to start construction on the development next year, with the first phase opening in late 2022 and early 2023.