This is a great article. And timely.
Currently, Henty+Pfaff & Associates, Architects has one hotel project under construction and due to open in December (Holiday Inn – Creve Coeur, Missouri), one hotel in design (Holiday Inn Express – Bellville, Ohio), and one in the planning stages (La Porte, Indiana).
Many of our hotel projects form part of a larger mixed-use development, much as this article is suggesting. Creating a destination around a hotel property, without doubt, increases the likelihood of success for the hotel and the surrounding amenities.
— Jeff Henty
ARTICLE:
Hotel construction is at its highest since the start of the Great Recession.
GIANTS 300 | SEPTEMBER 04, 2019 | PETER FABRIS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Building Design+Construction
Hospitality is hot—and, as we shall see, it’s also cool. Very cool.
The global hotel construction pipeline hit a 10-year high in 2018, according to Lodging Econometrics. In the U.S., nearly 670,000 rooms were in development or under construction last year—116,000 rooms shy of the 2008 peak. New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Dallas, and Houston are particularly robust.
Upgrading the guest experience is a major focus of the sector. “Amenities are getting designed early,” says Ed Cettina, CEO, Global Building Construction, AECOM.
In some cases, the property is conceived around amenities, particularly dining and wellness spaces. A growing number of hotels and resorts have partnered with third-party restaurateurs to create multiple dining options under the same roof. “Large resorts might have seven to fifteen food and beverage venues,” says Eddie Abeyta, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Chief Design Officer, HKS.
Lush spas are a must for new four- and five-star properties. In the casino/resort submarket, “there is a trend to capture more overnight stays by offering well-appointed spas for spouses,” says Brent Hughes, Vice President of Operations, C.W. Driver Companies.