Room for luxury
Downtown San Antonio property transforming into high-end signature hotel
The outlook for San Antonio’s hotel industry may be grim due to the coronavirus pandemic, but there is some good news to share. A hotel owner and developer plans to transform downtown San Antonio’s Marriott Plaza Hotel into a ultra-luxury property.
In a March 17 release, Merrillville, Indiana-based White Lodging Services Inc. says it’ll convert the 251-room Marriott Plaza, at 555 S. Alamo St., into The Otis Hotel San Antonio, Autograph Collection. The Otis Hotel, set to open in early 2022, will be San Antonio’s first Autograph Collection property.
The Autograph Collection features more than 180 Marriott hotels around the world. The Otis Hotel will be the second property to carry that name; the first Otis Hotel opened in February in Austin.
White Lodging and Indianapolis-based REI Real Estate Services LLC bought the Marriott Plaza in August 2019 with the intent of redoing it. The hotel is expected to close in August 2020 to undergo a makeover. The renovation will include a resort-style pool with cabanas, a revamped lobby, updated guest rooms and meeting rooms, a new spa, a new bar and restaurant, and outdoor meeting and event space.
Each guest room will encompass more than 360 square feet.
To make way for the day spa, two of the property’s historic bungalows will be repurposed from meeting and event space. The third bungalow will be turned into a bridal suite.
White Lodging and REI Real Estate Services are exploring the addition of other hotels to the six-acre Marriott Plaza site, including a 290-room boutique hotel featuring a rooftop pool, a rooftop bar, and a restaurant.
The site is near the River Walk, the Southtown Arts District, Hemisfair, the King Williams District, and the La Villita Historic Arts Village.
“This area is uniquely situated and bridges the rich history and revitalization of this area of San Antonio,” says Terry Dammeyer, White Lodging’s president and CEO for investments and development.
