Image courtesy of Monarch Urban
Aparium Hotel Group, May Reigler Properties and Potomac Investment Properties are collaborating to transform 699 Prince St. into Hotel Heron, an upscale hotel in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
The building was occupied by the George Mason Hotel from 1926 to 1971 and was most recently used as office space but has been empty for years.
While Twain Financial Partners is contributing a significant amount of funding for the project, the hotel will also be partially funded by the City of Alexandria itself, through a roundabout Alexandria Economic Development bond repayment program.
The city funding caused controversy among local labor groups but City Council voted to approve the funding in January, citing the need to boost tourism and commercial revenue for the city following the hit taken during the pandemic.
Construction on the hotel is underway. Architecture firm Antunovich Associates and design firm Streetsense are leading the hotel buildout which will include 134 rooms, 30,000 square feet of amenities, meeting space, a flagship restaurant on the ground floor and a rooftop bar. The hotel is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
“After a thorough search for the right hotel operator, it was clear Aparium would be the ideal fit for a top-of-market hotel and food and beverage operations in the storied Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria” said May Riegler CEO Kevin Riegler in a recent press release. “They understand our strategic and lifestyle goals for the hotel, making them the best partner to help us bring this exciting new addition to the community.”
Aparium Hotel Group is a lifestyle hotel brand known for it's hyper-local hotels and restaurants. It is a vertically integrated owner and operator of 10 hotel properties across the country including The Pontchartrain Hotel (New Orleans), Surety Hotel (Des Moines), Hotel Haya, (Tampa), Crossroads Hotel (Kansas City, Missouri), Detroit Foundation Hotel (Detroit), The MC Hotel (Montclair, NJ), Hewing Hotel (Minneapolis), Hu. Hotel (Memphis), Clayton Members Club & Hotel (Denver), Jasper Hotel (Fargo) with several additional projects under development including Hotel Heron in Alexandria.
