October 7, 2015 – A public/private partnership — led by NewcrestImage, a Dallas-based hotel development and construction firm — is about to enhance the face of downtown Amarillo with a new upscale all-suites hotel that is being kicked-off during a festive groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 16.
The 226-room, six-story Embassy Suites hotel, which will be a mixture of two-room and studio suites, will be located across the street from the Amarillo Civic Center and is scheduled to open in June of 2017.
The groundbreaking event will include a ceremonial dirt-turning at the site, followed by a luncheon for about 250 invited guests at the Amarillo Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.
Dignitaries expected to attend include Mayor Paul Harpole plus leaders from the project's three public partners: the Amarillo City Council; the Amarillo Local Government Corporation; and the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ).
Also attending will be officials from the venture's private business partners: NewcrestImage, which has owned and operated the Courtyard by Marriott in Amarillo's historic Fisk Building since 2011, and Panhandle Development, an investment firm based in the Amarillo area. Primary lender for the project is SouthWest Bank.
Senior executives will represent Virginia-based Hilton Hotels Corporation, which franchises the Embassy Suites brand.
"Success is a team sport, and this project features an exceptional team of individuals from government and from the private sector who are collaborating closely to translate an idea into a reality," according to Mehul Patel, Chairman of NewcrestImage.
Features of the Embassy Suites will include an upscale full-service restaurant and lounge; 18,000 sq. ft. of meeting space; an indoor swimming pool; complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast; spa; and a 24-hour fitness center. A 750-space parking garage is expected to be built immediately adjacent by the city.
Currently, NewcrestImage operates 16 hotels, with an additional 12 properties under construction or in development.
