Boutique hotel to open in Urbandale
A former chain hotel in Urbandale is getting a $5 million makeover that will transform it into a boutique hotel with what developers are calling a modern farmhouse look.
"We are trying to put a new touch on an existing hotel," said Damen Trebilcock, senior vice president at Heart of America Group. The Davenport company owns the hotel and the neighboring Machine Shed restaurant.
The former Comfort Suites, 11167 Hickman Road, will reopen later this spring as Hotel Renovo, Latin for "renew."
Heart of America operates several hotel brands in the Des Moines area, including Holiday Inn & Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Sleep Inn, Wildwood Lodge and Double Tree.
"We outgrew the brand and the market there has matured over the last 20 years," Trebilcock said of the location. "We decided this was an opportunity for a boutique-branded hotel. This is a new brand that we could eventually duplicate."
Hotel Renovo will be a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which requires properties to maintain certain quality standards and allows customers to bank points for visits.
Boutique hotels are generally defined as small — about 100 rooms — independently operated inns. It is a $6 billion-a-year industry that is growing about 5.6 percent a year, according to IBISWorld, a market research company.
Hotel Renovo will have 102 rooms.
In the past two years, Preferred Hotels & Resorts has seen 15 franchise properties converted into boutique hotels, said Jonathan Newbury, vice president of strategic development. The Internet has helped boost the popularity of boutique hotels by allowing them to better compete with the big franchises. "It's the great equalizer," he said.
What makes Hotel Renovo a little different is its suburban location near the interstate.
"Boutiques are generally in quirkier, artsier areas or downtown locations," said Todd Byhre, director of retail operations for Rebound Hospitality, the Minnesota company that operates Hotel Des Lux, a boutique hotel in downtown Des Moines.
Hotel Renovo's proximity to the tourist attraction Living History Farms and the Machine Shed restaurant, a popular destination for locals and travelers, will help draw customers, Byhre said. "It's almost impossible to do a boutique hotel unless it's in a perfect neighborhood."
The lobby of the hotel will include reclaimed barn wood, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a red, white and blue theme, Trebilcock said. There will be meeting rooms and conference space, a fitness center, a full-service bar and a breakfast area.
Guest rooms were completely redone with new bedding, carpeting, wall coverings and bathrooms. Amenities include high-grade soaps and lotions in each room.
"We can do what we want to do with the hotel because it's an independent," Trebilcock said.
Room rates will run $140 to $160 a night, he said. The hotel will begin taking reservations online in mid-April.
Reported by: Des Moines Register
"We are trying to put a new touch on an existing hotel," said Damen Trebilcock, senior vice president at Heart of America Group. The Davenport company owns the hotel and the neighboring Machine Shed restaurant.
The former Comfort Suites, 11167 Hickman Road, will reopen later this spring as Hotel Renovo, Latin for "renew."
Heart of America operates several hotel brands in the Des Moines area, including Holiday Inn & Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Sleep Inn, Wildwood Lodge and Double Tree.
"We outgrew the brand and the market there has matured over the last 20 years," Trebilcock said of the location. "We decided this was an opportunity for a boutique-branded hotel. This is a new brand that we could eventually duplicate."
Hotel Renovo will be a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which requires properties to maintain certain quality standards and allows customers to bank points for visits.
Boutique hotels are generally defined as small — about 100 rooms — independently operated inns. It is a $6 billion-a-year industry that is growing about 5.6 percent a year, according to IBISWorld, a market research company.
Hotel Renovo will have 102 rooms.
In the past two years, Preferred Hotels & Resorts has seen 15 franchise properties converted into boutique hotels, said Jonathan Newbury, vice president of strategic development. The Internet has helped boost the popularity of boutique hotels by allowing them to better compete with the big franchises. "It's the great equalizer," he said.
What makes Hotel Renovo a little different is its suburban location near the interstate.
"Boutiques are generally in quirkier, artsier areas or downtown locations," said Todd Byhre, director of retail operations for Rebound Hospitality, the Minnesota company that operates Hotel Des Lux, a boutique hotel in downtown Des Moines.
Hotel Renovo's proximity to the tourist attraction Living History Farms and the Machine Shed restaurant, a popular destination for locals and travelers, will help draw customers, Byhre said. "It's almost impossible to do a boutique hotel unless it's in a perfect neighborhood."
The lobby of the hotel will include reclaimed barn wood, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a red, white and blue theme, Trebilcock said. There will be meeting rooms and conference space, a fitness center, a full-service bar and a breakfast area.
Guest rooms were completely redone with new bedding, carpeting, wall coverings and bathrooms. Amenities include high-grade soaps and lotions in each room.
"We can do what we want to do with the hotel because it's an independent," Trebilcock said.
Room rates will run $140 to $160 a night, he said. The hotel will begin taking reservations online in mid-April.
Reported by: Des Moines Register
