LAYTON, UT—Being given the task of constructing one of the first hotels in a new brand comes with an expected amount of excitement, but it also comes with the challenge of working solely off a prototype. That was the situation Draper, UT-based Rimrock Construction faced when it was awarded the job of handling the construction of the new Home2 Suites Layton here.
At the time Rimrock was brought onto the project, there was only one other Home2 Suites under construction in Fayetteville, NC, which would be the extended stay brand’s first hotel to open. However, the Layton property would be facing a much tighter schedule, so it wasn’t able to look to the Fayetteville hotel as a resource. While an estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of Rimrock’s work is in the hospitality segment, all parties involved in the project knew it was going to be a challenge to get the hotel built on schedule and to the new brand’s standards. How ever, owner Summit Lodging, ESP thought Hilton Worldwide’s new extended stay brand would be an ideal fit for the area because of the demand generators nearby including Hill Air Force Base, multiple corporate headquarters, a conference center and a medical center.
“Any time you are dealing with a new brand, you just have to know going in that there are going to be a lot of unknowns that come with the project,” said Andy Pettingill, director of hotel operations for Western States Lodging and Management, which developed and now manages the property. “Since there wasn’t another Home2 open yet, the real look of the brand hadn’t been defined yet. It took a real partnership between us and Rimrock Construction and a lot of teamwork to get the project done. Being able to identify potential issues and come up with solutions did cost us some extra time.”
Even so, from the time ground was broken for the hotel in July 2010, it took just eight months to construct and complete the property. In addition to the abbreviated schedule, the impending winter in the middle of construction proved to be an additional obstacle for Rimrock, according to Bo Holland, project manager for the company. “As we began to head into the winter months we were concerned about the exterior of the building. We had to make sure the exterior finishes, stucco work and paint were done before the weather got very cold,” he said. “So that work was all done first.”
Weather issues aside, communicating the necessity of completing the project on schedule to the subcontractors working on the hotel’s development also proved to be an issue. “It was interesting how tough it was to convince the subcontractors that we were going to hit our [opening]date. Most subcontractors are used to schedules slipping and adding more time to a project, but we all had to enforce to them that the owners wouldn’t allow that. We were constantly pushing the schedule,” Pettingill said.
Compounding the challenges that arose with the subcontractors on the project was simply the issue of getting materials to the job site on time. “The brand has some unique specs, on the lighting for example, and it took time to get things here. It was a constant challenge to keep calling suppliers on behalf of the subcontractors for materials. It was almost a daily battle. We ended up having to make some huge decisions toward the end of the project,” Holland said.
“We were told products would have 12-week lead times, and in many cases, it ended up being more like 20 weeks,” Pettingill added.
To better suit the needs of the market, the decision was made to slightly alter the Home2 Suites prototype for the four-story Layton property. “The Home2 prototype calls for all queen rooms,” Holland explained. “But that really was not the best fit for the location. Instead, half of the rooms are king rooms and the other half are queen rooms and that meant extending both sides of the building. The brand’s prototype also only has media hubs in the one-bedroom suites. Here, they are in all the rooms.” Another upgrade was the installation of convection ovens in each of the rooms.
He noted that incorporating the Home2 Suites’ “working wall” into the rooms was also a challenge. The wall incorporates the kitchen and working space connecting separate living and sleeping areas. All 107 rooms at the Home2 Suites Layton also feature RFID locks that are activated by just waving the key card in front of the door.
The Home2 Suites Layton also features the brand’s Oasis lobby concept, consisting of a breakfast area, a 55-inch flat-screen television, and both communal and individual work zones. The property also includes laundry and fitness rooms and a pool. Unique to the outside of the hotel is a fountain highlighting the walking path.
Pettingill reported that in addition to the significant achievement of getting the project completed in just eight months, the property is now also getting very positive reviews from guests. “We haven’t heard anything negative at all. Guests are all reporting great stays. There’s currently nothing like this brand. Younger guests, in particular, are loving all the technology incorporated into the hotel,” he said.