Upscale lodging at Old Town
By Richard Metcalf
Journal Staff Writer
Old Town is getting an upscale five-story, 118-room boutique hotel, thanks to a bullish move by veteran local hotelier and real-estate investor Jim Long.
“It’s a move that’s a bit ahead of the market right now,” Long told the Journal. “It’s a forward-moving project. This is an expression of our commitment to invest in this community.”
The new hotel is a substantial development play. Although Long declined to give an estimated cost for the project, HVS Global Hospitality Services’s annual hotel development cost survey would put the total project cost at upward of $31 million.
Construction is scheduled to begin by late fall, with completion set for spring 2016.
Owned and operated by Long’s Heritage Hotels and Resorts Inc., the proposed new hotel will be built on the vacant 2.6-acre site just northeast of Heritage’s 11-story, 188-room Hotel Albuquerque at 800 Rio Grande NW.
‘A destination opportunity’
The 120,000-square-foot boutique hotel will be built at the corner of Bellamah and 20th NW in what is officially the Sawmill district, an eclectic neighborhood bordering the north side of Old Town that's seen continuing redevelopment.
The 120,000-square-foot boutique hotel will be built at the corner of Bellamah and 20th NW in what is officially the Sawmill district, an eclectic neighborhood bordering the north side of Old Town that’s seen continuing redevelopment.
The hotel will create about 100 jobs, ranging from management to service positions. Its guests likely will be either “leisure transient” customers – travelers and tourists – or group business customers, Long said.
“Honestly, I think this hotel may become a destination opportunity,” he said.
Room rates will run about $160-$170 a night.
The new property will have its own name, identity and amenities, although its guests will have access to Hotel Albuquerque’s meeting space and swimming pool. The new hotel’s entrance will face the corner of Bellamah and 20th NW. Its working name is Hotel Old Town.
“This will be a step above Hotel Albuquerque,” Long said, saying it will meet the standards of a Four Diamond Hotel by AAA.
The new hotel’s amenities will include a “signature” restaurant featuring modern Native American cuisine, a rooftop restaurant and lounge with adjacent event space, a 6,000-square-foot spa, 1,200-square-foot fitness room and 3,000 square feet of retail space.
Albuquerque Hotel was built in 1975 as a Sheraton. Purchased by Heritage in 1999 and extensively renovated starting a year later, it has an average occupancy rate in the 80 percent range and is one of the most successful hotels in New Mexico, Long said.
A great location
This architect's rendering shows what Albuquerque's newest hotel will look like. The five story property is being developed by hotelier Jim Long on property just northeast of his Hotel Albuquerque. (Courtesy of Gensler)
This architect’s rendering shows what Albuquerque’s newest hotel will look like. The five story property is being developed by hotelier Jim Long on property just northeast of his Hotel Albuquerque. (Courtesy of Gensler)
“It’s an ideal location,” he said.
The addition of the new hotel’s 118 rooms will bring the overall property’s room count to just past the 300 threshold, which will give Heritage more flexibility in marketing Hotel Albuquerque’s extensive meeting space, upward of 41,000 square feet, for conventions, Long said.
The hotel was designed by Gensler, a global architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco, and inspired in part by the ruins at Chaco Canyon. The design blends contemporary and traditional pueblo elements.
http://www.abqjournal.com/436373/biz...-old-town.html
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