In The Works: Delayed Construction Of Courtyard Marriott Under Way

TYLER, TX - May 31, 2009 - Construction on a Courtyard Marriott initially slated for completion this year in Tyler finally is off the ground, with a scheduled opening by April 2010, a representative with the hotel chain's management and development company said this past week.

The project was announced in May 2008 for a site on South Broadway Avenue across from the Carmike 15 theater, with an opening later this summer.

However, Courtyard Marriott International came up with new designs for its hotels, so developers of the Tyler site decided to push back construction, said Mital Patel, development vice president for the Frisco-based Image Hospitality, which will operate the hotel.

"We wanted to incorporate those new changes," Patel said. "That's why we decided to delay the project."

The hotel's lobby design changed greatly, with the space becoming more of a facility focal point, he said.

"We designed the whole lobby area to make it more inviting and make it more hospitable," he said.

The 85,000-square-foot hotel, 7524 S. Broadway Ave., will have 121 rooms, Patel said.

The hotel will employ 35, he added.

The four-story facility also will have 4,400 square feet of space to accommodate meetings, banquets and events of up to 450 people, according to an Image Hospitality news release Wednesday.

Other offerings include the Courtyard Bistro restaurant, serving breakfast and dinner, an indoor swimming pool, exercise room, guest laundry and business center.

Guest rooms will have either a king-sized bed or two queen-sized beds, a seating area with sofa bed or oversized chair, a work desk and two telephones equipped with data ports. The hotel will have three suites with a king-sized bed, refrigerator and microwave oven.

The Courtyard Marriott will bring the number of hotel rooms in the city to almost 2,600.

A Staybridge Suites hotel, for which ground has been broken near the intersection of McDonald Road and Loop 323 in Tyler, is expected to add 80 rooms by year's end. Staybridge, an extended-stay facility, is affiliated with Holiday Inn.

Patel said the Courtyard Marriott is in the same class as the Hilton Garden Inn, which opened down the street Jan. 30.

That full-service hotel, which employs about 50, features room service, indoor pool, a restaurant, a bar and 3,000 square feet of meeting facilities.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with the bar open until midnight.

"I think Tyler needs upscale properties," Patel said. "(The Courtyard Marriott) will be another property that will make the market better."

He added that his group also has worked with the Holiday Express near Loop 323 and Troup Highway.

"We've been in this market and know how it works," he said. "That's why we feel so strong about it."

Courtyard has more than 700 hotels worldwide, including properties overseas, according to the news release.

Image Hospitality has developed, acquired, owned and operated hotels in the United States for more than 30 years. The company owns and operates seven hotels with a total of 700 rooms.

TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH
By BRIAN PEARSON
Business Editor