One of three luxury hotel brands — the Curio Collection from Hilton or an upscale line from the Marriott or Hyatt — may be coming to one of the last undeveloped parcels of land in Tallahassee’s downtown.
Co-founder and CEO Stephen Wendell of Mountain Shores Properties, in an exclusive interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, said his company is close to landing on a final decision and in talks with representatives from all three brands.
“We haven’t chosen a franchise partner yet,” said Wendell, in a phone interview. “We’re working through that, but it will be one of those.”
Permit materials show the Curio Collection from Hilton logo. The Curio Collection is the brand’s upscale boutique hotels and resorts handpicked for their distinct character, local flavor, and historic or architectural significance. There are only 150 such hotels around the globe.
When asked about the logo, Wendell said the brand partner will be “that level.” The idea, he said, is to create an “upscale lifestyle product” with a bar and full-service restaurant along with “highly designed and curated rooms.”
It’s the latest clue of what’s to come as major projects move forward in and around Tallahassee’s downtown.
The hotel site is slated for one of two sites that were owned by the city of Tallahassee and purchased this year in a competitive bid process by the 908 Group, a real estate firm in Tampa that’s partnered with West Virginia-based Mountain Shores Properties to build the hotel.
The 908 Group plans to build student housing apartments on what’s called the 2.41-acre “Chevron” site, and the hotel will be built next door on the “Johns” property that’s 2.68 acres.
Both are the last block-sized sites that haven’t been developed in downtown Tallahassee. Early permit materials show Mountain Shores Properties wants to build a six-story, 153-room hotel with a 4,753 square-foot restaurant and garage with two decks.
The company has already built two hotels in Tallahassee: the Hampton Inn & Suites Tallahassee Capitol-University on Railroad Avenue and the Hyatt House at the entrance of Railroad Square that opened in 2019. Both were acquired by the Noble Investment Group in Atlanta.
“We’ve been excited to engage here,” Wendell said. “Our goal is to build what we hope is the best hotel in the city. Certainly the hotel that most people will recommend when asked where to stay. We think it will be an incredible site.
“There are beautiful hotels in Tallahassee,” he continued. “But, we definitely are going to be aiming for a product and a quality that I don’t think is there. We’re excited about that.”
What’s the timeline for Mountain Shores Properties’ proposed hotel?
Wendell went on to highlight the location’s proximity to the Florida State University and the overall Arena District that includes numerous student housing buildings, restaurants, bars and clubs that serves as a bridge between the university, the Tucker Civic Center and the surrounding areas downtown.
As his company is working to finalize negotiations with a hotel brand, other plans are also churning to pin down a third-party restauranteur.
As previously reported, the 908 Group wants to start construction by second quarter 2027 and finish by the fall of 2029. The apartment building is projected to cost $125 million, and the hotel would be approximately $40 to 50 million.
Wendell said, pending permit approval, construction would start in fall 2007 and open before graduation season in 2029.
“We’ve been to the market before, so we’ve proven that we can do projects there,” he said, regarding Tallahassee. “We’re super excited to come back.”
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee developer plans to build ‘best hotel in the city’ on this spot
Reporting by TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
