WHITBREAD GROWS PREMIER INN PORTFOLIO: Whitbread PLC, the leading U.K.-based hospitality company and owner of Premier Inn has acquired the long leasehold interest of a development site in Dublin. This marks Whitbread’s first purchase in Outer Dublin as the company continues to grow its portfolio in Ireland, where it plans to add 3,500 Premier Inn rooms. Whitbread plans to open a 150-room Premier Inn hotel at Sandyford. With this acquisition, Whitbread has over 1,600 rooms either trading or in its pipeline across Ireland. At present, the company has four trading Premier Inn hotels in Dublin City Centre and hotels at Swords near Dublin Airport.
LEFT LANE TO DEBUT FLAGSHIP BARDO HOTEL: Left Lane, the New York City-based vertically integrated real estate development and hospitality company, has announced that Hotel Bardo Savannah will open on February 8. A former 19th-century Southern Gothic structure at Forsyth Park in Savannah, Ga., has been transformed into a two-acre resort. The adaptive reuse project features 149 rooms, which include 50 suites, a coastal Italian restaurant, a spa, a kid’s club and a social club. The hotel also offers a 25-meter swimming pool, pool bar, gym and 3,500 square feet of event space. This will be the first flagship hotel for the Bardo brand. Left Lane plans to grow the Bardo brand in the next five years and open properties in secondary markets, such as Pittsburgh, Pa. and Providence, R.I.
EL TROPICANO HAS NEW OWNERS: The historic El Tropicano River Walk Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, has changed hands. JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality group announced it had arranged the sale of the hotel, which was the first purpose-built hotel in San Antonio’s River Walk. JLL represented the seller, El Tropicano Hotel LLC and procured the buyers, Trestle Studios, Sopris Capital and The Town Lake Co. The 308-room hotel is in a prime location in the north River Walk corridor. With more than 400 feet of River Walk frontage, the property will serve as the cornerstone in the rising north RiverWalk district. The hotel first opened in 1962 and has hosted several famed guests. The hotel has remained closed since 2020.
ESA BAYTOWN, TEXAS REOPENS: Wayside Investment Group, the Texas-based privately-owned real estate company, has reopened the Extended Stay America Suites in Baytown, Texas. The hotel underwent extensive renovations to offer more amenities and services to extended-stay guests. Renovations to the three-story, 82-room hotel include significant improvements to the rooms (new fully equipped kitchens with full-size appliances), exterior, public spaces (lobby, guest laundry, pool and fitness center) and a new signage. Guests will be able to access complimentary services, such as free Wi-Fi, grab-and-go breakfast and premium cable.
ESSEX RETAINS MANAGEMENT OF FAIRFIELD INN AT GENEVA, N.Y.: Essex Hotel Management, LLC has retained the management agreement for the Fairfield Inn & Suites Geneva Finger Lakes in Geneva, N.Y. after Frontier Group of Companies acquired the hotel. Rochester, N.Y.-based Essex was part of the development and ownership team that built the hotel and has managed the property since it opened in 2016. When the former owners decided to sell the hotel, Essex connected them with Frontier Group. Located along the northern shoreline of Seneca Lake, the 84-key hotel features an indoor pool and a fitness center. The hotel will undergo renovations later this year, which will include enhancements to the rooms and public spaces.