Trade Center picks Atlanta firm to build Hutchinson hotel

Article posted on December 14, 2016 by BusinessinSavannah.com

The Georgia International and Maritime Trade Center Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to begin working with Atlanta-based hotel developer Songy Highroads to design, build and operate a convention hotel on Hutchinson Island. Songy, partnering with Omni Hotels, will now move into the pre-development phase of the project — a minimum 300-room hotel on property just west of the trade center. Authority chairman Mark Smith said he was pleased with the board’s choice.

“We’ll now begin discussions with this fantastic development team to identify and clear all the hurdles that are typical of a project of this scope.”

With current hotel projects in various stages of completion on the other side of the river, the new convention hotel could bring the number of rooms available for conventioneers to more than 2,000. That’s important, Smith said, as the trade center maintains a growing list of major conventions that would like to consider Savannah if it had more rooms in close proximity.

Songy Highroads LLC (SHR), whose development projects range from Dallas to Washington, D.C., focuses primarily on urban infill projects with particular emphasis on the office and hotel sectors. A wholly owned subsidiary, Highroads Holdings LLC, provides third-party management, leasing and brokerage services for both institutional and SHR-owned properties.

Among current projects in their portfolio are the Hyatt Place Houston, the Cypress Executive Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the Sheraton Metairie in Louisiana.

Songy Highroads was one of three finalists named last summer to develop, build and operate the new hotel. The other two finalists were ARCADD of Boston and CWT Holdings, the company that owns the Westin on Hutchinson Island.

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