$9M Tru by Hilton Hotel to Open at Gateway Town Center

$9M Tru by Hilton Hotel to Open at Gateway Town Center

by Alexis Hosticka  on Friday, Jun. 10, 2016 1:55 pm

With entertainment, shopping and restaurants already in the works at The Grove at Gateway Town Center, another piece to the puzzle will be filled in next fall with a $9 million Tru by Hilton hotel.

The new brand, with only two in the country so far, is aimed at the “millennial roadside traveler,” according to Shawn Govind, the director of real estate development at Pinnacle Hotel Group.

“The common areas are a bit larger and more guest friendly; the guest rooms are smaller than a typical full-service Hilton,” Govind said. “It’s for your price conscientious travelers.”

The Tru hotel will be 42,000 SF with 84 units and be the “model property for the state.” Govind said that there are plans for three more Tru hotels in Arkansas but locations for those have not been determined.

A private investor group currently owns the property at Gateway Town Center, which was purchased for $12.4 million, and Colliers International of Little Rock is handling the leasing and selling of the land.

Govind said the $975,000 transaction for the property should close in mid-July and they plan to break ground before the end of the year.

The Tru brand hotel is designed to be “simplified, spirited and grounded in value” and a “mid-scale” brand.

It will feature a large lobby called The Hive that includes a redesigned front desk and four zones for lounging, working, eating and playing. The play zone will include amenities such as table games and a large-screen TV; the eating area will provide a complimentary breakfast bar.

Rooms are either single king or double queen with “spacious” bathrooms. The goal of the brand is to “capture millions of cross-generational guests” and to fill a market void.

The property was formerly owned by developer Tommy Hodges. He outlined his vision for the area as an entertainment district with hotels, restaurants and other attractions situated among 500 trees illuminated year-round by more than a half-million lights.

The Tru hotel will be adjacent to the Movie Tavern, a dine-in movie theater chain, which will open in 2017.

On Monday, Dave & Buster’s opens at the Gateway Town Center, which Govind says was a large reason that they chose to locate the hotel in that area.

Pinnacle Hotel Group is also currently working on a 140-room Hilton Garden Inn project in downtown Little Rock positioned to come on line in spring 2017.