2011 is shaping up to be a strong year for Embassy Suites Hotels with several deal signings, groundbreakings and openings occurring within the first half of the year. The brand has a conversion planned in West Palm Beach, Fla.; recently signed deals for new hotels in Knoxville, Tenn., Richland, Wash., Springfield, Va., Salt Lake City, Utah; and celebrated a groundbreaking on a property in Orlando, Fla. Embassy Suites is also proud to welcome new locations outside of Boston, Mass., and Los Angeles, Calif.

The upper upscale, all-suites brand continues to support a robust pipeline of more than 30 projects—the largest domestic pipeline of any upper upscale hotel brand.* The brand has aggressive goals to expand in Canada and Latin America and its latest design prototype is spurring development in areas that once seemed space or cost prohibitive.

New Development Agreements
A conversion for a hotel planned in the West Palm Beach airport area, Fla., will account for the brand’s 19th hotel in that state. Featuring 15 stories, 194 suites and 23,000 square feet of meeting space, this hotel will be managed by long-time Embassy Suites partner, Windsor Management Services, LLC.

Following its opening of Embassy Suites Jackson - North/Ridgeland, the brand’s first ever Design Option III property, Kana Hotel Group has signed a license agreement to develop another Design Option III property in Knoxville, Tenn., at 9617 Parkside Drive. Embassy Suites Knoxville West will be six stories with 140 suites and 8,000 square feet of meeting space. “The DOIII layout from Embassy Suites, which incorporates side-by-side suites (as opposed to the traditional “shotgun” layout) and the atrium pulled to the front of the building with the rooms’ towers behind, is an innovative and cost effective one for hotel developers,” said Alpesh Patel, president and CEO of Kana Hotel Group.“This design is also very appealing to guests, as it allows more natural light in both public and guest room areas. We’re pleased with the success of our first property and look forward to our second opening in late 2013.”

Located at 8100 Loisdale Road, Embassy Suites – Springfield, Va. will boast seven stories, 219 suites and nearly 6,000 square feet of meeting space. It will be the first Embassy Suites for Miller Global Properties, LLC. The property is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2013.

West Valley Lodging Initiative signed an agreement to develop the second Embassy Suites Hotel in Utah on the corner of South and Market Streets in West Valley City. The hotel will be the cornerstone of the city’s Fairbourne Station development, a mixed-use project that will encompass retail space, office space, urban residences and parkland. The Embassy Suites Salt Lake City-West Valley will have seven stories with 162 suites. Renascent Hospitality will manage the property.

Groundbreakings
Sierra Land Group, Inc. broke ground on April 2 on the Embassy Suites Orlando - Lake Buena Vista South, located on the corner of State Road 535 and Kyng’s Heath Road in Kissimmee, Fla. Also a Design Option III property, the hotel is planned for 11 stories with 300 guest suites and more than 25,000 square feet of meeting space. Hardin Construction Company, LLC is the general contractor for the hotel, which is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2012.

“In terms of meeting space square footage, the property will be the largest Embassy Suites hotel in Florida and in the top 10 percent of the entire brand” said Eric Rosenbaum, vice president of Sierra Lodgings, Inc., a subsidiary of Sierra Land Group. “We’re looking forward to opening our first Embassy Suites hotel. We’re pleased with the flexibility and value offered by the brand, which allowed us to pick the best design to fit our market, while maintaining all of the inherent benefits of an Embassy Suites.”

New Openings
“We’re pleased to welcome two new properties, Embassy Suites Boston Waltham and Embassy Suites Ontario – Airport, to our portfolio, increasing our total locations to 211 across the Americas,” said Jim Holthouser, global head of Embassy Suites Hotels and full service brands, Hilton Worldwide. “With more than 50,500 suites, we remain the nation’s largest brand of upscale, all-suite hotels.”

Embassy Suites Boston/Waltham opened on April 18 in Boston’s suburban corporate centers off I-95/Route 28, minutes from downtown Boston and Logan International Airport. With 275 suites and 10,000 square feet of meeting space, the property can accommodate over 300 people for special events. “We’re thrilled to be the third Embassy Suites hotel in Massachusetts,” said Rob Weitz, general manager, Embassy Suites Boston Waltham. “We’re confident that the brand’s signature features, including spacious two-room suites, complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and evening Manager’s Reception** will resonate well with the travelers in this area.”

On June 17, the brand welcomed Embassy Suites Ontario – Airport, located approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and near the LA/Ontario International Airport, Auto Club Speedway, Ontario Convention Center and Citizens Business Bank Arena. Owned and operated by Sun Development and Management, the hotel is the brand’s second Design Option III property in the state, following Embassy Suites Palmdale, which Sun Development and Management opened in February 2010. In addition to Embassy Suites’ signature amenities, the 175-suite hotel offers 5,300 square feet of meeting space, a heated indoor pool, whirlpool, sundeck and complimentary airport transportation to all guests.

Growth in Canada, Latin America and Urban Markets
Embassy Suites also has ambitious growth goals. “Canada and Latin America remain huge opportunities for our brand as we look to expand further across the Americas,” continued Holthouser. “We are actively pursuing deals in these areas and feel the brand’s unique value proposition and customer loyalty will continue to support and grow our robust pipeline. In addition, the brand’s flexible approach to development allows us to work with owners to take advantage of any space, while retaining Embassy’s signature amenities. Embassy Suites St. Louis – Downtown, scheduled to open in September, will be the latest in a string of recent urban openings. Situated in a historical building that was previously a department store, this property has been adapted to a modern hotel and urban residences.”

Currently, 60 percent of the properties in the pipeline are Design Option III and the brand anticipates continued growth of both Design Option III development deals and the overall pipeline over the next few years.

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