NATIONAL REPORT—As the year winds down, owners and developers are still gearing up with property openings. Among those adding inventory is NewcrestImage, which has opened an AC Hotel by Marriott in the historic Bricktown neighborhood of Oklahoma City. It’s also the company’s first property using modular construction and the city’s first hotel utilizing this building technique, according to the company.
The five-floor, 142-room property features traditional construction for the ground floor, then has 81 modules that form the remaining four floors.
“Modular construction enabled us to deliver an upscale property at dramatically lower construction time and costs, while the AC brand allows us to immerse guests in an atmosphere that is simultaneously high tech and high comfort,” said NewcrestImage Chairman/CEO Mehul Patel. “The hotel’s design is energized modern, while also paying honor to the rich heritage of the surrounding warehouse district.”
The hotel also includes 800 sq. ft. of meeting space, a fitness center, a business center, a restaurant and a European-style lounge that features specialty cocktails.
The property is located adjacent the 13,000-seat Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and proximate the Cox Convention Center.
NewcrestImage also operates a 124-room Holiday Inn Express in Bricktown, a 50-square-block area in downtown Oklahoma City that has been transformed from an abandoned warehouse district into an urban destination for dining, shopping and entertainment.
Texas Gets an Embassy Suites
In the Lone Star state, the 208-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston West-Katy has opened.
Owned by Mac Haik Hospitality and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, the property, located at 16435 Katy Fwy., is about 30 miles from both of Houston’s main airports and is near the Park 10 Business District.
Featuring two-room suites, the property provides free, cooked-to-order breakfast, complimentary WiFi, an evening reception with drinks and snacks every night and more than 8,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space.
The property also has a ballroom with a 350-person capacity, a business center, complimentary parking, 24-hour fitness center, access to George Bush Park hiking trails located behind the hotel, an indoor pool and whirlpool spa, and a full-service lobby bar.
Oregon Fairfield Inn & Suites to Debut
The 81-key Fairfield Inn & Suites Eugene East/Springfield by Marriott in Eugene, OR, is scheduled to open tomorrow, Dec. 29, at 3003 Franklin Blvd.
Owned and managed by locally based Alko Hotels, led by Alpesh (Al) Patel and Komal (Tina) Patel, the property is 11 miles from Eugene Airport and near the downtown area, the University of Oregon, the Matthew Knight Arena and the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum.