deal in profile
transactions behind the scenes
Landmark Hotel Reopens
After $30M Face Lift
Extensive renovations have turned the 1930s-era lodging property
into a sustainable asset ready for LEED Gold certification.
A 107-ROOM ALBUQUERQUE HOTEL DESIGNATED A US
historical landmark has had its $30-million face lift and name
change, and is now ready to face the world as the Hotel Andaluz. The
renovations have converted the 1930s
hotel into the nation’s only nationally
registered historic building that may
qualify for LEED Gold certification.
Jeff McIntyre, principal with hotel operator Gemstone Hotels
& Resorts, acknowledges that the $30 million for renovations
on the hotel at 125 Second
St. NW was higher than the
original $12-million invest-
ment anticipated when owner
Gary Goodman of Goodman
Realty Group bought the
property, then known as the
La Posada de Albuquerque,
in May 2006. One reason for
cost increases, he comments,
is because the building was
old and issues such as wiring
and plumbing came to the
surface during the renovation
process, and needed to be
corrected.
But the other reason had
to do with the owner himself.
“Gary wanted to make sure
this project made a tremendous statement on the green
front,” McIntyre says. “The
more he got into it, the more
he wanted to move forward
and the more he wanted to
do something no one had
done before.”
The hotel’s upgrades
included the addition of a
solar-heated hot water system
and an integrated building
energy management system.
The windows in place were
By Amy Wolff Sorter
designed to reduce energy costs. Green chemical cleanings
were sourced and interior finishes and furniture was selected
that incorporate recycled and low VOC materials. McIntyre says
Gemstone and Goodman have applied to the US Green Building
Council for LEED Gold certification, and anticipates they’ll know
something by the first of the year.
Though the main reason behind the extreme green push for the
project was to develop something sustainable, McIntyre says the project gives Hotel Andaluz a competitive advantage. “There are people
who make businesses decisions
centered on the fact this hotel is
sustainable,” he adds.
The 10-story hotel was the
fourth one to be built by New
Mexico native Conrad Hilton,
who honeymooned in one of
the suites with Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Hotel Andaluz has been
mapped out as an urban cultural center, including art exhibits
and an on artist-in-residence
program. The work also added
an interactive events kiosk; theater area for Native American,
symphony and jazz performances; 8,000 square feet of
meeting space; two restaurants
with sidewalk and rooftop dining; and guest rooms with free
high-speed Internet access and
ergonomic work areas.
Preservationist Steven Kells,
principal of Kells & Craig
Architects Inc. in Albuquerque,
handled the design work for
the Spanish Colonial-style asset.
Goodman Realty’s in-house construction team is the general
contractor. CMMI of Atlanta is
the interior designer. ◆
