Bisnow Hospitality Event: Day 2 Coverage
As Marriott introduced the chic Spanish-based AC Hotels into the US market, Woodbine Investment Corp will develop about 10 of these in the next few years around the country, says managing director Dupree Scovell (second from right with the event panel, but pay no mind to the ominous shadow!) at Bisnow’s third annual DFW Hospitality Summit at the Westin Galleria Dallas last week.
Dupree says Woodbine is so bullish on the niche chain that a fund was created around it. (The most talented divas always get their own dressing room.) The brand is designed to target Millennials and each hotel reflects the uniqueness and character of its location. Woodbine has six projects in five states in the works for 2014 at a price tag of around $300M, Dupree says.
We learned a little more about panel moderator Bury SVP David Rhoades (far right, with Bury team members Jay Marsh and Mike Klein) than most people know. Beyond his background of working in resort master planning, architecture, and landscape architecture as well as resort design and development for a number of wine country resort assets, he used to race vintage cars.
Encore Hospitality prez Glenn Pedersen says Hilton and Marriott are redesigning their rooms, and Courtyard (with 850 hotels nationwide) has redesigned 85% of its hotel lobbies and is redesigning rooms to be more attractive to Millennials. (Movie posters from the '80s would be a good start.) Additionally, cities that put off building hotels and convention centers are moving forward now with the availability of capital.
Event sponsor The Real Estate Council is gearing up for Fight Night on April 24 at the Hilton Anatole. Here’s TREC’s Tessa Samarripas, Dowdle Real Estate prez Lynn Dowdle, and TREC’s Holland Morris.
