Saunders Hotel Group Gets Irish Partner For Back Bay Project

BOSTON— Saunders Hotel Group (SHG) said it has joined forces with Irelands Jurys Doyle Hotel Group to develop and manage the police headquarters hotel in the Back Bay here. The international alliance, which will bring more than 200 urgently needed hotel rooms to Boston and revitalize a landmark city building, is a result of the companies common approach to hotel management and operations as well as a patriarchal friendship that has lasted several decades. Through the cooperative effort, the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group will provide funds for the historic renovation of the property through a long-term ground lease and will provide day-to-day operations management upon the propertys completion and opening. The Saunders Hotel Group will purchase and develop the property from the city of Boston and will be the asset manager over the property. “This is a win-win agreement for both of our companies and for the city of Boston,” said Gary Saunders, Chairman of the Saunders Hotel Group, “It gives Jurys Doyle a strong entree to the Boston market, which has a deep Irish heritage, and it enables us to partner with a renowned organization to create a distinctive, world-class property which compliments and rounds out the Saunders Hotel Groups portfolio of Boston hotels.” The two hotel group patriarchs were friends for many years and the similarities between the two companies operating philosophies, approaches to hotel development and management and their track records of success are similar. Saunders said the agreement does not affect the ownership, operation or positioning of any of the Saunders Hotel Groups other properties in Boston— The Lenox, The Copley Square and the Comfort Inn & Suites Boston Airport. Both parties, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group and Saunders Hotel Group, mentioned that the Boston alliance may be just the first of many joint ventures between the two.