Hotel News Now’s Independent Insights newsletter each month features a news roundup from the independent hotel sector. Subscribe to the free monthly newsletter here.
Anaheim Residence Inn goes independent
Owners of the 200-suite Residence Inn Anaheim Maingate, located in Anaheim, California, and adjacent to Disneyland, have taken the hotel independent, renaming it the Clementine Hotel & Suites Anaheim.
Owned by Holiday Garden Hotels, a subsidiary of a Taiwan-based company; and managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the property is led by GM Beckley Van Cleave, who was GM of the property while it was under the Residence Inn flag.
Historic San Diego building under redevelopment
Oram Hotels is developing San Diego’s historic Army-Navy YMCA building into The Guild, a 162-room luxury boutique hotel. The hotel, slated for a 2019 opening, will be part of Marriott International’s Tribute Portfolio.
The 1920s-era building is in downtown San Diego near the waterfront, and following the renovation, the eight-floor hotel will have an outdoor restaurant, grand ballroom, private penthouse and several creative event spaces.
Sormeh Azad of Incommon Design is designing the interiors, and the property will be managed by Azul Hospitality Group.
Boston boutique packs in the history
Incorporating local stories into a hotel’s design and operations is nothing new, but a soon-to-open independent hotel in Boston is taking the trend of localization to the next level.
As The Boston Globe reports, the Revolution Hotel—slated to open in December in the city’s South End—was designed to showcase the innovation produced by Bostonians over the years, while simultaneously being truly unique, or “one of one,” as the developer, Mount Vernon Co.’s founder and Chairman Bruce Percelay told the Globe.
Mount Vernon Co. developed the hotel in an historic former YMCA building.
According to the article, the 164-room hotel will feature murals and other artwork from local artists, as well as scenes depicting one-time Bostonians like Martin Luther King, Clara Barton, John F. Kennedy and Malcolm X. Art installations feature collages of telephones, sewing machines, computer mice and other products invented in Massachusetts.
Hotel guestroom numbers are designed using Red Sox typeface, and bathrooms are colored to resemble lines on the city’s subway system.
Openings, management, people on the move
- The Bristol Hotel opened in Bristol, Virginia. Charlestowne Hotels partnered with developer McCall Capital on the historic preservation of the 65-room hotel, and will manage the property, which was developed on the site of the city’s historic 1925 Executive Plaza building.
- Fisher Inn Resort & Marina in Islamorada, Florida, reopened in October following an extensive renovation post-Hurricane Irma. The 22-key resort and marina underwent a full renovation to the exterior, public spaces and guestrooms.
- Aliz Hotel Times Square opened 15 October in New York City. The 287-room boutique hotel was developed by Aliz Group and is managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts.
- Gary Jones was named executive chef of Argonaut Hotel and its restaurant Blue Mermaid Restaurant. The hotel is owned and managed by Noble House Hotels & Resorts.
- The Glen House opened in New Hampshire, at the base of Mt. Washington. Olympia Hotel Management manages the 68-room hotel.
- Also from Olympia Hotel Management: The company opened the Sophy Hyde Park, a 98-room boutique hotel in Chicago. Olympia developed the hotel in conjunction with Smart Hotels, and manages it.
- The Inn at Gran View Ogdensburg in Ogdensburg, New York, joined Choice Hotels International’s Ascend Hotel Collection. The 46-room hotel is family-owned and -operated.
- Hotel Preston in Nashville recently completed a renovation to public spaces, outdoor spaces and all 196 guestrooms. The property is managed by Provenance Hotels.
- Hotel Nia, which opened recently as an Autograph Collection property in Menlo Park, California, achieved LEED Silver Certification.
Compiled by Stephanie Ricca.