Sotherly Hotels Inc. Relaunches Wilmington Hotel as Hotel Ballast
April 02 2018 - 3:43PM
Sotherly Hotels Inc. (NASDAQ:SOHO) (the “Company”) announced today
the addition of Hotel Ballast, formerly the Hilton Wilmington
Riverside, to its collection of boutique properties following a
$10.0 renovation, conversion, and relaunch effort.
“We are excited to complete this conversion and
to launch Hotel Ballast as the premiere boutique hotel in Eastern
North Carolina,” said Drew Sims, Chief Executive Officer of the
Company. “With its ideal location along Historic Downtown
Wilmington’s waterfront, the property has been a landmark hotel in
the market for nearly 50 years and a stalwart in our legacy
portfolio for the past 30 years. We believe this reimaging to Hotel
Ballast will position the hotel for success for many years to
come.”
Hotel Ballast is the latest addition to Sotherly
Hotels’ collection of boutique hotels centered on providing local
experiences and true Southern hospitality to guests throughout the
Southern United States. The Hotel recently completed a $10.0
million renovation effort that includes a total refresh of all
areas of the property, including upgrades to all 272 of the hotel’s
guestrooms, as well as lobby, pool area, meeting space,
restaurants, and other public areas. Hotel Ballast’s all-new
guestrooms include hardwood floors, remote shades, elevated bedding
packages, and spa-like baths with marble walk-in showers and
eco-friendly amenities, while boasting impressive water and
downtown views.
Public space design highlights include the
addition of a communal library area, an art gallery featuring
original work by students and alumni of the Savannah College of Art
& Design, and refreshed meeting and event facilities, complete
with new chef-inspired banquet menus and modernized audio-visual
equipment. Guest amenity improvements include a revamped in-room
dining program, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, an all-new
bridal suite, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Located on the lobby level,
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse provides guests a go-to option for USDA
Prime steaks and an award-winning wine list in a scenic setting.
Additionally, the Hotel Ballast lobby features Buffalo Bayou
Coffee, a gourmet-to-go café serving locally ground coffees and
house made light fare.
Another notable aspect of the renovation and
rebranding effort includes the addition of Board and Barrel Coastal
Kitchen (www.boardbarrelwilmington.com), an all-new restaurant that
features comfortable outdoor dining and seasonal live music acts
directly overlooking the Cape Fear River. Board and Barrel’s
chef-driven menu offers guests inspired cuisine with a unique take
on Southern flavors and dishes that feature ingredients from local
purveyors, while its beverage program offers creative barrel-aged
cocktails and local brews.
A landmark in historic downtown Wilmington for
nearly 50 years, Hotel Ballast first opened as an inn in 1970,
playing a vital role in downtown’s major revitalization efforts.
The hotel’s name honors the maritime history of Wilmington and
draws upon its riverfront location on the Cape Fear River. Over the
years, the property has hosted numerous celebrity guests including
Wayne Newton, Richard Gere, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Stephen King,
Emilio Estevez, Andy Griffith, and Presidents Ronald Reagan and
Bill Clinton.
As one of the first member properties of
Hilton’s boutique Tapestry Collection, Hotel Ballast provides
guests with a uniquely local experience and an ideal waterfront
location with unobstructed views of the USS North Carolina
Battleship as well as access to the Riverwalk, a full mile of
boardwalk that boasts some of Wilmington’s best shopping and
dining.
For more information about Hotel Ballast, visit
the property’s website at www.hotelballast.com.
About Sotherly Hotels Inc.
Sotherly Hotels Inc. is a self-managed and
self-administered lodging REIT focused on the acquisition,
renovation, upbranding and repositioning of upscale to
upper-upscale full-service hotels in the Southern United States.
Currently, the Company’s portfolio consists of investments in
twelve hotel properties, comprising 3,156 rooms, and an interest in
the Hyde Resort & Residences, a luxury condo hotel. Most of the
Company’s properties operate under the Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt
Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group and Marriott
International, Inc. brands. Sotherly Hotels Inc. was organized in
2004 and is headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia. For more
information, please visit www.sotherlyhotels.com.
About Tapestry Collection by Hilton
Tapestry Collection by Hilton
(tapestrycollection.com), launched in 2017, is a portfolio of
original upscale hotels that caters to guests seeking reliability
and value in their independent hotel choices, with each stay backed
by the reassurance of the Hilton name and its award-winning Hilton
Honors program. Learn more about Hilton’s newest brand at
news.tapestrycollection.com and connect with Tapestry Collection by
Hilton on facebook.com/tapestrycollection,
instagram.com/tapestrycollection and
twitter.com/tapestryhilton.
Contact at the Company:
Scott Kucinski Sotherly Hotels Inc.410 West
Francis StreetWilliamsburg, Virginia 23185(757) 229-5648
Sotherly Hotels (NASDAQ:SOHO)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Sotherly Hotels (NASDAQ:SOHO)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024