Big deal for Montage. Montage International and The Robert Green Co. reached an agreement Thursday for the development of the SilverRock Resort in La Quinta, California. Breaking ground in summer 2017 and opening in late 2019, the development will include Montage La Quinta with branded Montage Residences, Pendry La Quinta with branded Pendry Residences, Spa Montage, a catering and conference facility, recreation center, multiple food and beverage outlets, a mixed-use village, and the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course.
Hard Rock Atlantic City: Hard Rock International unveiled plans for its Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The group has reached an agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of investor Carl Icahn to purchase Atlantic City’s former Taj Mahal and will be majority owner of the rebranded Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in partnership with the Morris and Jingoli families. The group will invest more than US$300 million to purchase, substantially renovate and re-open the casino. The sale does not include former Trump Plaza Hotel And Casino in Atlantic City, which Icahn’s firm continues to own and market for sale.
Marriott, NCAA: Marriott International announced that it will become an Official NCAA Corporate Partner across all 90 NCAA championships. As an official partner of the NCAA, Marriott will now offer tournament experiences exclusively to Marriott guests and Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest members.
MGM think tank: MGM Resorts International and the University of Nevada Las Vegas are establishing a bipartisan think tank tackling a range of economic, social, political, and workplace issues. The MGM Resorts Public Policy Institute at UNLV will be co-chaired by Senator Harry Reid and former House Speaker John Boehner.
Lingerfelt acquires dual-brand: Richmond, Virginia-based Lingerfelt CommonWealth Realty Partners acquired a stabilized dual-branded Hilton Garden Inn | Homewood Suites hotel in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Constructed in 2009, the hotel is comprised of a 123 guestroom Hilton Garden Inn and a 98 suite Homewood Suites. Commonwealth Lodging Management, the company’s hotel management affiliate, will operate.
Tru South Carolina: An 85-room Tru by Hilton is planned for Columbia, South Carolina. Georgia-based hospitality company Sycamore Investment Group plans to open the hotel, which will stand four stories on about 1.3 acres.
Warwick Journeys: Warwick Hotels and Resorts unveiled its new guest recognition program, Warwick Journeys. Unlike other brand recognition programs that base status levels on points accrued via the overall number of stays completed, the Warwick Journeys cross-stay accelerator allows members to progress through the benefit tiers significantly faster by staying at multiple Warwick locations rather than one.