Image courtesy of Aparium Hotel Group
Hotel Heron rendering
A new six-story hotel called Hotel Heron is set to open next year at 699 Prince St., in Old Town Alexandria, according to the company.
The hotel is named for the heron, a long-legged, long-necked bird found in the area, especially at Huntley Meadows Park just south of Alexandria.
The project is a first-time partnership between Aparium Hotel Group, May Riegler Companies and Potomac Investment Properties. The new hotel, scheduled to open in spring 2024, will transform the historic George Mason Hotel building.
Lauded as one of the finest examples of Colonial Revival architecture in the city, the building was originally constructed in 1926 and served as the George Mason Hotel for 45 years. It was one of the most modern hotels of its time when it was designed by architect William Lee Stoddart and known as a prime location for holding social events in its heyday. In 1971, the hotel filed for bankruptcy and closed. The building was then converted to commercial office space and most recently was occupied by The Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which moved out of the building in 2018.
Rendering courtesy of Aparium Hotel Group
Hotel Heron will open in 2024 in Old Town Alexandria.
Spearheaded by Washington D.C.-based architect Antonovich Associates, and design firm Streetsense, the adaptive reuse project combines the iconic property with an adjacent new building. Hotel Heron will be home to134 guest rooms and food and beverage offerings as well as a fitness center and a selection of meeting spaces designed for socializing, co-working, creating and more.
The hotel will feature a wood-fired restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, that will include an ever-evolving menu of offerings from the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. An adjacent bar area will be an all-day destination for coffee, teas, botanicals, bubbles and cocktails.
Rendering courtesy of the City of Alexandria
Night view of the southwest corner of the hotel opening in 2024.
A separate bar and lounge will be located in the center of the hotel, offering a selection of shareable plates and an extensive cocktail list, ranging from approachable to progressive. Finally, a seasonal rooftop cocktail bar will offer frozen cocktails, a wine program with an emphasis on East Coast and regional vintners, and a rotating and seasonal menu of limited releases from local brewers.
Located in the heart of Old Town, a nationally designated historic district located along the Potomac River waterfront, Hotel Heron will provide a home base to explore Old Town.
"We couldn’t be more excited to help breathe new life into this historic hotel,” said Michael Kitchen, Partner of Aparium Hotel Group, in a press release. “Hotel Heron will be a one-of-a-kind addition to Old Town Alexandria, and it will serve as a vibrant hub, connecting travelers to enriching experiences and the cultural essence of this world-class destination. We embrace the opportunity to restore this early 20th-century purpose-built hotel to its original glory, while infusing our 'Translocal Hospitality' philosophy and injecting the energy and soul that defines Alexandria's creative class.”
"We are excited to expand our portfolio of exciting projects in the Washington D.C. area and beyond with the opening of our first hotel,” said Eric May, co-founder and principal of May Riegler Companies, in the release. “Hotel Heron perfectly aligns with our mission to create unique products in urban-infill locations that meet the needs of today's travelers, city dwellers, workers and retail customers.”
“We are thrilled about the transformative adaptive reuse of this iconic property, which upon completion, will deliver a best-in-class hotel, complimentary to the vibrant fabric of the historic Old Town neighborhood,” said Rich Jordan, managing director of Potomac Investment Properties, in the announcement. “This property builds on the storied legacy of the Gewirz family, who have continued to deliver high quality development projects across the Greater Washington D.C. area for almost a century.”
Established in 2012 and led by founder Mario Tricoci, Aparium Hotel Group is a pioneer in the lifestyle hotel industry. Aparium Hotel Group is a vertically integrated owner and operator of 11 hotel properties across the country, including The Pontchartrain Hotel (New Orleans), Surety Hotel (Des Moines, Iowa), Hotel Haya (Tampa, Fla.), Crossroads Hotel(Kansas City, Mo.), Detroit Foundation Hotel (Detroit), The MC Hotel (Montclair, N.J.), Hewing Hotel (Minneapolis), Hu. Hotel (Memphis), Daxton Hotel (Birmingham, Mich.), Clayton Hotel & Members Club (Denver),Heathman Hotel (Portland, Ore.), and several projects in various stages of development.
