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AAHOA'S NORTH TEXAS Region hosted its second Charity Golf Tournament of 2024, raising around $60,000 for five charities. The association's final Charity Golf Tournament of 2024 will take place in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Nov. 6. The beneficiaries of the most recent tournament include the AAHOA Charitable Foundation, Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking, SLPS Aastha Charities, Nanu Foundation, and Nora's Home. The event, held on October 14 at Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine, Texas, drew more than 100 players and 15 sponsors, according to AAHOA. "As hoteliers, giving back to our communities is a top priority," said Miraj Patel, AAHOA's chairman. "It was inspiring to see our members and industry partners in Dallas come together for causes that will have a lasting impact. I am grateful to North Texas regional director Dhiren Masters and the North Texas ambassadors who worked tirelessly to make this event successful."

TEXAS VOTERS APPROVED Proposition 4, a constitutional amendment reducing property taxes this year. AAHOA and the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, which collaborated to support the amendment, said Proposition 4 ensures property tax relief for commercial hotel properties. The amendment allocates $12.6 billion in state funds for public education, lessening reliance on local property taxes, according to AAHOA. Moreover, it raises the Texas franchise tax exemption from $1.24 million to $2.47 million, providing businesses with tax relief, and caps appraisal values for commercial properties under $5 million. Proposition 4 was passed with over 83 percent of the vote, emphasizing to legislators the priority of reducing property taxes.

Cambria Hotel Waco University Riverfront in Waco, Texas, owned by KB Hotels led by Kiran "Kenny" Bhakta as founder and CEO, is now open. It is the ninth Cambria Hotel in the southwest. The new 4-story, 130-room property joins Cambria's Austin Downtown, Austin Uptown, Austin Airport, Houston Downtown, McAllen, Plano, Richardson and Southlake, Choice said in a statement. KB Hotels, led by Kiran "Kenny" Bhakta, a hotel development company in central Texas, is spearheading the development of this hotel. "With a rich history anchored by academia and agriculture, Texas is quickly becoming a hub for vacationers and business travelers alike," said Indy Adenaw, Choice's senior vice president and general manager for upscale. "We look forward to expanding Cambria's unique offerings and top-notch amenities to even more guests in the Lone Star State with the opening of the new Cambria Hotel Waco University Riverfront."

PEACHTREE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT has contracted with TEKMAK Development Co., a full-service hospitality development company, to provide third-party management services for a portion of its hotel portfolio. The three hotels are all in Texas. PHM will assume operations of the SpringHill Suites Dallas Rockwall in Rockwall, Texas, on Aug. 1, and is slated to manage two under-construction hotels, a dual-branded TownePlace Suites by Marriott and Fairfield by Marriott in Paris, Texas, and a TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Forney, Texas, the company said in a statement. "This is the second long-term management agreement we've entered into already in 2023, and we will continue to seek best-in-class partners like TEKMAK as we pursue our own third-party management growth goals," said Patrick Short, PHM president. "Our third-party operated portfolio continues to expand, currently accounting for nearly a third of our entire managed portfolio. We expect to continue growing our third-party portfolio moving forward, ultimately surpassing our owned hotels." A division of Peachtree Group, which is led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals, PHM operates branded, limited-, select- and compact full-service hotels primarily in the upper-midscale and upscale segments. The company presently manages 92 hotels across 28 brands with 11,186 rooms in 22 states. These three TEKMAK hotels increase PHM's third-party operations to 34 hotels, the statement added.

FOUR HOTELS RECENTLY joined Hospitality International's hihotels brand, including three Red Carpet Inns along the East Coast and a new-build Scottish Inns outside of Houston, Texas. The company expects more growth in the future. Hihotels includes five brands Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn. The new properties include. Red Carpet Inn in Elkton, Maryland, 55 rooms, former Days Inn Red Carpet Inn in North Brunswick, New Jersey, 50 rooms, former independent Red Carpet Inn in Edison, New Jersey, 42 rooms, former OYO Hotel Scottish Inns in Richmond, Texas, 35 rooms, new construction While three of the four are conversions, the property in Richmond is the latest new build to join the brand. Two other Scottish Inns construction projects are currently ongoing in Texas in Houston and Forest Hill. Another new build recently opened in Hitchcock, Texas.

HIHOTELS BY HOSPITALITY International, a leader in franchising of conversion and new-build hotels for economy lodging, has opened four properties including Scottish Inns in Austin, Forest Hill and Hankamer, Texas and a Passport Inn in Paradise, Pennsylvania. These properties are owned by Dinesh Patel, Anu Investment Corp., Priteshkumar "Pat" Bhakta and Saraswati Group, Inc., respectively. The Scottish Inns & Suites in Austin is a former Rodeway Inn and is owned by Dinesh Patel. The 35-room hotel is located in downtown Austin just off Interstate 35 and East Highway 290. It is near the 6th St. Entertainment District and the University of Texas campus, and is near the Austin Zoo and Austin Convention Center, hihotels said in a statement. The Scottish Inns hotel in Forest Hill, Texas, a 46-room new construction, is owned by Anu Investment Corp. The property is located along Mansfield Highway, just a half mile from I-20 and 10 miles from downtown Fort Worth.

The TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Antonio Northwest at The RIM in San Antonio, Texas, opens on Aug. 17. It is owned and managed by Satesh Limited, led by Sunil Wadhwani, president. The 109-suite hotel is 15 miles from San Antonio International Airport and 20 minutes from downtown San Antonio. Nearby attractions include Six Flags Fiesta Texas, The Shops at La Cantera and the University of Texas San Antonio. Hotel amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness center and a meeting room. The hotel is pet-friendly.

ShreeGanesh Inc., led by President Jatin C, recently opened the 59-room Red Roof PLUS+ in San Antonio Northeast, Texas. The pet-friendly hotel underwent renovations by the company prior to its opening. The hotel is near San Antonio River Walk, Morgan's Wonderland, Toepperwein Medical Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Methodist Hospital Northeast, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, SeaWorld San Antonio, and LEGOLAND Discovery Center. San Antonio International Airport is approximately eight miles away. Red Roof operates more than 60,000 rooms across nearly 700 properties in the U.S. and worldwide.

WAYSIDE INVESTMENT GROUP of Houston, Texas, will manage the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Katy, Texas, in collaboration with Southwest Hospitality Management. The hotel will undergo a complete Formula Blue multimillion-dollar renovation. Wayside, led by Miraj Patel as president, has added three hotels this year to its purchasing, development and management services. The 98-room Holiday Inn is near the Golf Club at Cinco Ranch, TopGolf Houston, Katy Mills Mall and CityCentre. "The addition of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Katy demonstrates our focused growth in our local Houston-area market and provides us the opportunity to launch our collaboration with Southwest Hospitality Management, which will provide our companies the resources to grow our footprint," Patel said.

Studio 6 Katy, Texas, a new-build extended-stay hotel, is now open in the Houston suburb. It is owned by Sharin Patel and Ripan Modi. The 63-suite hotel was built under the new design parent company G6 Hospitality introduced last year. Nearby attractions include Rhodes Stadium and Legacy Stadium, Nelson Water Gardens and Nursery and Typhoon Texas Waterpark. The hotel also is pet friendly, and G6's recently implemented "Clean@6" cleaning and safety protocols are in effect at the new property. "Katy is a vibrant town and popular destination for business and tourism, and we are excited to partner with G6 Hospitality to bring more affordable lodging options to the area," said Modi, who also is the hotel's general manager. "We chose to open a Studio 6 because of the brand's longstanding commitment to leaving the light on for guests, which has been of even greater need for those required to continue travel during these times. Whether guests are looking to stay for an extended period or just a night or two, our goal is to make traveling affordable and accessible for all."

The SpringHill Suites Austin West/Lakeway in Lakeway, Texas, is scheduled to open Aug. 28. It is owned by Lakeway Joint Venture, managed by Sunil Patel, and managed by Esperanto Developments of El Paso, Texas, led by Madhi Nair, president and CEO. The 88-suite hotel is on the campus of the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center.Nearby attractions include Lake Travis, the Hill Country Galleria, The Oasis on Lake Travis and Pace Bend State Park. Hotel amenities include a meeting room, an outdoor patio with a fire pit, an indoor swimming pool and a fitness center.

FOUR PROPERTIES JOINED the hihotels by Hospitality International portfolio during the first quarter. The new additions are in Maryland, Oregon and Texas and are all conversions. The four hotels signed or activated are: A former Econo Lodge turned Red Carpet Inn in College Park, Maryland, signed. A former Rodeway Inn turned Scottish Inns in Ashland, Oregon, signed and activated. A former Americas Best Value Inn turned Scottish Inns in DeSoto, Texas, activated. A former Econo Lodge turned Scottish Inns & Suites in Spring, Texas, signed. The five hihotels brands include Red Carpet Inn, Scottish Inns, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn. Hospitality International said the brands' franchising model includes customized support, advanced technology and overall value.

OFFICIALS OF THE "She Has a Deal" annual hotel investment pitch contest announced the five teams selected to advance to the final round of SHaDPitch 2023. The competition allows early career women to compete for the prize of $50,000 of equity in SHaD's Prosperity Fund I, following the conclusion of a virtual, preliminary round of pitching, SHaD said in a statement. SHaD 2023 will be held at the new Marriott Headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 27 to 28. According to the statement, the goal of SHaD is to increase the number of women owning and developing hotels. It provides participants with the ability to source, analyse, raise capital and close hotel real estate investment deals. During the preliminary judging round, eight teams comprising 15 participants pitched their hotel investment acquisition or development projects live on Zoom to a judging panel of hotel business executives, entrepreneurs, and investors. The judges evaluated and selected the following five teams: Sydney Young and Rachel Nicholson with SpartanStone, graduates of Michigan State University, pitching a La Quinta Inn & Suites in Lewisville, Texas. Chandler Williamson with Chanders Core Commitment, graduate of North Carolina Central University, pitching a Hilton Garden Inn in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Isabella Suffredini, Veronica Lewis and Alexandra Neoman with CROWN, graduates of Cornell University, pitching a TownePlace Suites in Houston, Texas. Makenna Price with Hookipa Hospitality, graduate of Washington State University, pitching a Fairfield Inn & Suites in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Allison Busch and Hannah Takekawa with AH Hospitality, graduates of San Diego State University, pitching a Staybridge Suites in Austin, Texas "Every year, I grow more encouraged that we are making an impact," said Tracy Prigmore, founder of SHaD. "These are brilliant women who benefit from the education and programming that SHaD provides, and their hotel investment acumen has grown by leap

Red Roof Inn Hutchins is now open in Hutchins, Texas. The 41-room hotel is owned and operated by Jay Patel as his first hospitality venture. Red Roof Inn Hutchins is close to Dallas and attractions including the Cold War Air Museum, Trinity River Audubon Center and Trinity Forest Adventure Park, Red Roof said in a statement. Red Roof Inn Hutchins is pet friendly and is part of the RediRewards program from Red Roof. The hotel also takes part in Red Roof's RediClean program. Patel was introduced to Red Roof by a friend and existing franchisee. "Red Roof's team has supported me throughout this project, from start to finish," Patel said. "Special thanks to Alex Shamsuddin, Red Roof's Regional Vice President of Franchise Sales, who collaborated closely with me to secure permits for the ideal location in Hutchins, Texas. The robust logistics industry in our county, coupled with other significant businesses and local attractions, sets our hotel up for success."

Residence Inn Galveston Island, a partnership between LBA Hospitality and Om Sai Hospitality, is now open in Galveston Island, Texas. This collaboration extends from LBA's relationship with Details Hotel Group, co-owners of Om Sai Hospitality, with Atish Gandhi serving as its vice president of operations, LBA said in a statement. "LBA has done an outstanding job managing properties alongside Details Hotel Group since 2017," said Gandhi. "Their track record speaks for itself, and it's why Om Sai Hospitality confidently chose LBA as our go-to management partner for this new Galveston Island hotel. We know they'll bring their expertise to the table and ensure everything runs smoothly for our guests." Residence Inn Galveston Island offers studio and one-bedroom suite accommodations, along with meeting space for up to 70 guests, the statement added. It's conveniently located near UTMB, Shriner's Hospital, Texas A&M, Galveston College, and the Galveston cruise port.

DALLAS-BASED INVESTMENT firm NewcrestImage has acquired Cambria Hotel Southlake DFW in Southlake, Texas, the company said in a statement. The company took over operations at the 175-room upscale hotel and the management will be provided by Aimbridge Hospitality. In January, NewcrestImage and Aimbridge contracted for Aimbridge for management services and NewcrestImage became a minority shareholder in the management company. "The Cambria Hotel Southlake DFW is a vibrant, contemporary hotel strategically located to attract both business and leisure travelers. We look forward to taking the hotel to new levels of performance, both for guests and for our investors," said Mehul Patel, managing partner and CEO of NewcrestImage.

A JOINT VENTURE between Dallas-based NewcrestImage and Dabu Group has acquired the full-service Marriott Dallas/Fort Worth in Westlake, Texas. The sale was facilitated by Newmark Lodging Capital Markets on behalf of the seller, NewcrestImage said in a statement. The Marriott, slated for a full renovation, features 294 rooms, some with private balconies. It includes a concierge level with a private lounge, a restaurant, a Starbucks outlet, an outdoor pool, a business center and around 15,000 square feet of meeting space. The building was designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, the company said. "This deal offers an attractive opportunity to partner with a strong investor in acquiring a property with a track record of robust performance and a strategic location in a dynamic market," said Mehul Patel, managing partner and CEO of NewcrestImage.

A new Hilton Garden Inn is now open in the SilverLake Crossings project in Grapevine, Texas. It is owned by NewcrestImage led by Mehul Patel, chairman and CEO and is the company's third tri-branded hotel. The 152-room hotel is adjacent to one of the company's dual-brand properties that includes a 181-room Courtyard by Marriott and a 120-suite TowneSuites by Marriott that opened in December 2013. The Hilton Garden Inn is two miles from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. SilverLake Crossings is a 52-acre multi-use community and the entire "hotel campus" offers 453 rooms, two lobby bars, multiple dining options, and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space at the nearby SilverLake 2200 Conference Center.

WAYSIDE INVESTMENT GROUP of Houston and Iridescent Hotels of Dallas are partnering on the management of two hotels in San Antonio, Texas, and Houston. Both companies are relatively new ventures by established hoteliers. The hotels are the 126-room Hyatt Place San Antonio-Northwest/Medical Center and the 113-room Holiday Inn Houston West - Westway Park, and the hotels' new owners are also based in Houston. The Hyatt Place is near San Antonio International Airport, several company headquarters, medical centers and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The Holiday Inn is near USA Baseball, Memorial City Mall, Houston's Energy Corridor, the Galleria, Downtown Houston, Reliant Park and Minute Maid Park. "The addition of these two hotels is testimony to the continued steady growth and expansion of Iridescent Hotels' third-party management team and the collaboration with Wayside Investment Group," the companies said in a statement. "Several more additions are on the horizon for late first quarter and early second quarter."

The SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western Odessa in Odessa, Texas, is now open. It is owned by Shivbkrishna LLC led by Manish Bhakta. The 110-room hotel is near the Odessa Meteor Crater, the second largest meteor crater in the U.S., the Parker House Ranching Museum and Monahans Sandhills State Park. Amenities include a fitness center, indoor pool and two different spaces for meetings and events. "Our fully-renovated hotel offers the most value and best service for both business and leisure travelers staying in Odessa," Bhakta said. "The SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western Odessa provides guests with the excellent comfort, value and service they are looking for in a hotel stay," said Rob Mentnech, managing director of SureStay Hotel Group.