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Boise hospitality ‘ROSE’ winners to be announced April 5

Recognition of Service Excellence Visit Boise announced the finalists for its Recognition of Service Excellence (ROSE) Awards honoring exceptional employees in the tourism and hospitality industry. The awards recognize those who positively enhance visitor experiences with their enthusiasm and exemplary service. Winners will be announced on April 5 at a ceremony from 6-9 pm at the Morrison Center.

“These awards are important because hospitality employees are the first point of reference for a lot of visitors that come to the area,” said Carrie Westergard, executive director of Visit Boise. “Either the very first time or as a repeat guest, they give visitors their first impression of Boise. So, we want to elevate and recognize those who are doing their jobs exceptionally well and carry that forward.”

The hospitality industry is the third largest industry in Idaho after agriculture and technology and generates more than $1.9 billion in direct travel spending in Southwest Idaho. Idaho’s tourism industry has recovered well since the pandemic. The state is up 9 percent in passenger travel from 2019 numbers with almost 4.5 million travelers. Group and event business for 2023 is on pace to be a record year, surpassing 2019 numbers.

Visit Boise’s Spirit of Hospitality Award will be given to Dan Prinzing, Director (retired) of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. He is being honored for his stewardship of the Anne Frank Memorial and the Wassmuth Center’s educational programs that create unique experiences for visitors and residents alike. Spirit of Hospitality recognizes one who consistently and positively contributes to the betterment of our community, their organization and the hospitality industry overall.

This year, Visit Boise adds a staff selected Community Impact Award. This award recognizes one individual who made a significant contribution to the community. This 2023 Community Impact Award will honor Pam Draper, ODP Administrator at Idaho Youth Soccer Association. Draper has elevated Boise as an elite youth soccer destination. She has successfully brought the U.S. Youth Soccer’s Far West Regional Championships to Boise for several years in a row. The Far West Championship is the largest event Boise hosts, adds more than $11 million to the local economy and supports nearly 2,000 jobs.

Other category finalists:

Accommodations

  • Bill Ottinger, Guest Services Agent, Hampton Inn & Suites Boise Spectrum
  • Eleanor Block, Server/Bartender, Hilton Garden Inn Boise Spectrum
  • Jeremy Crain, Front Desk Agent, Fairfield Inn & Suites Boise

Attractions

  • Emily Ford, Visitor Services Representative, Idaho State Museum
  • Megan Stoll, Marketing, Duck Club/Treefort
  • Samantha Maxey, Owner/Operator, Snake River Wine Tours
  • Shawn Welsh, Owner/ Tour Operator, Boise Bicycle Tours

Bar/ Tasting Room

  • Lauren Askarnia, Wine Ambassador, Telaya Wine Co.
  • Railli Kowall, Wine Ambassador, Telaya Wine Co.
  • Ryan Hutchinson, Wine Ambassador, Potter Wines

Behind the Scenes

  • Don Porter, Parks Infrastructure Equip Op, Parks and Rec/City of Boise
  • Fareed Jajo, Housekeeping, Downtown Boise Treasure Valley Family YMCA
  • Rudy Oliver, Housekeeping, West Boise Treasure Valley Family YMCA

Dining/ Caterers

  • Angel Cruz-Gomez, Banquet Captain, The Riverside Hotel
  • Anthony Hansen Mairs, Server, The James Boise
  • Ryan Budenbohm, Bartender/Server, Richard’s

Retail

  • Jaime Galego, Retail Associate, Banana Ink (former employee)
  • Norma Jean Weimer, Clerk/Cashier, BSU C-Store (Chartwells)
  • Sandra Allen, Sales Associate, Paradies Lagardere Travel Retail

Transportation

  • Garrett Smith, Driver, UPS
  • Jamie Talan, Owner/Driver, Idaho Towncar
  • Lika Knight, Teacher/Bus Driver, Treasure Valley Family YMCA

Volunteer

  • Elaine Grossaint, Volunteer, Morrison Center
  • John Heimer, Volunteer Ambassador, Treasure Valley Family YMCA
  • John Holsman, Museum Ambassador, Idaho State Museum

Manager of the Year

  • Kevin Blakeslee, Cider Crew Manager, Meriwether Cider
  • Steve Lively, Executive Sous Chef, Boise Centre
  • Tomas Gallardo, Maintenance Manager, Hampton Inn & Suites Boise Spectrum

2023 ROSE Award Judges

2023 judges were selected prior to opening public voting

  • Adam Altwies, Inn at 500 (Visit Boise Board Chair)
  • Sean Briggs, Boise Airport (Visit Boise Board Member)
  • Hart Gilchrist, Intermountain Gas (Visit Boise Board Member)/Christi Rood, CWI
  • Sophie Sestero, Treasure Valley Family YMCA (Visit Boise Board Member)
  • Jennifer Hensley, Downtown Boise Association
  • Kelly Jenkins, Enterprise Car Rental (Travel Industry Advisory Board Chair/SKAL International Boise)

 

AAA data shows 30% jump in international travel

Spring break is right around the corner, and for many Americans, this time of year marks the start of the travel season. AAA booking data saw a 30% increase in international travel from a year ago, and found that domestic trips may be slightly down from last year as travelers explore more options around the globe. 

“Families are excited to connect and chase away the winter blues with some fun in the sun,” AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde said. “Many will have grandparents sharing in the adventure, so they’re getting the best of both worlds.”

AAA data also found that on average, families can expect to pay anywhere from 20-25% more for hotel rooms and airfare than a year ago, especially in areas with warmer climates. Hotel rates will be cheaper in cities with colder climates, which could help stretch the family budget.  

Survey respondents rated beach vacations as the most popular choice for spring break this year. The top 10 spring break destinations include:

  1. Anaheim, CA
  2. Las Vegas, NV
  3. Salt Lake City, UT
  4. Phoenix, AZ
  5. San Diego, CA
  6. Orlando, FL
  7. Oregon Coast
  8. Hawaii
  9. Seattle, WA
  10. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Although Idaho isn’t at the top of the list for spring break this year, tourism in Idaho is a $3.7 billion business and is one of Idaho’s largest industries, employing more than 45,000 people. The tourism industry ranks third in the state, behind only agriculture and technology. Early this year, Visit Idaho released a new travel guide for 2023, as tourism continues to grow.

Visit Boise announces 2023 board of directors

Visit Boise, the tourism division of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce, announced its 2023 board of directors this month. Focused on promoting tourism and enhancing Boise’s economy, Visit Boise’s board members help guide the organization’s overall strategy and serve a three-year term with the opportunity to renew for an additional term.

“Our board of directors are community-minded and bring diverse expertise within the hospitality and tourism industry, as well as our local business communities,” Carrie Westergard, executive director at Visit Boise, said. “They play an integral role in helping promote Boise as a premier destination for meetings, conventions, sporting events and leisure travel.”

Adam Altwies, general manager at the Inn at 500 Capitol, will serve as board chair. Altwies oversees daily operations of the boutique hotel as well as the financial operations. Before his current role, Altwies spent 14 years in Las Vegas managing poker rooms for a major luxury casino and resort brand. 

Hart Gilchrist, vice president of safety, process improvement and operations systems with MDU Utilities Group at Intermountain Gas, will serve as chair-elect and treasurer. Gilchrist is responsible for all safety and training, pipeline safety management system and operations technology at Intermountain Gas, which serves more than one million customers across eight states. 

Brad Wilson, general manager at Bogus Basin, will serve as the immediate past chair. Wilson has been part of the ski and hospitality industries for more than 30 years.Vicki Carley

Vicki Carley, Block 22 Hotels, joined the board as a new director. Carley is Block 22 Hotels’ regional director of sales. In this role, she oversees the sales and revenues of The Grove Hotel, Hotel 43 and Courtyard by Marriott Boise Downtown. She is also on the Southwest Idaho Travel Association (SWITA) Board of Directors and the Boise Chamber Advisory Council, among others.

A visitor center returns to Grove Plaza

A visitor center was incorporated into the restroom structure added to the renovated Grove Plaza in downtown Boise. Photo by Teya Vitu.
A visitor center was incorporated into the restroom structure added to the renovated Grove Plaza in downtown Boise. Photo by Teya Vitu.

Boise’s visitor center has headed back to center stage.

After seven years tucked under a garage at Front and Ninth streets, the visitors center opened June 5 to the right of the main Boise Centre entrance on the Grove Plaza.

The visitor center is attached to a two-stall restroom attached to the convention center.

The visitor center was once at the Boise Centre. It was moved in 1990 to the convention center’s marketing office across Front Street and relabeled Concierge Corner and Visitor Services. It was staffed part-time by volunteers.

Boise Centre sales manager Kay Dillon assists a visitor at the new visitor center on Grove Plaza. Photo by Teya Vitu.
Boise Centre sales manager Kay Dillon assists a visitor at the new visitor center on Grove Plaza. Photo by Teya Vitu.

The new visitor center is staffed full-time by Boise Centre’s visitor services and sales staff and other part-time paid and volunteer Boise Centre staff, said Pat Rice, executive director of the Boise Centre.

Visitor center hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday with extended hours for Alive After Five and other special events.

The center returned to Grove Plaza as a collaboration between Boise Centre and the Capital City Development Corp. CCDC owns Grove Plaza and built the new restroom and additional windowed space that holds the visitor center. Boise Centre manages the plaza.

Public restrooms were a high priority in public polls for the new plaza. CCDC consulted with Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland on plaza restrooms and was advised to have a “human interface” to reduce unwanted behavior, said Doug Woodruff, CCDC’s project manager for capital improvements.

“From the get-go, we needed attended restrooms,” said Woodruff said.

People get the key for the new Grove Plaza restrooms in the adjoining visitor center. Photo by Teya Vitu.
People get the key for the new Grove Plaza restrooms in the adjoining visitor center. Photo by Teya Vitu.

Woodruff and Rice got to talking early in the process.

“Suddenly, we had a good opportunity to have a visitors center with a full-time attendant,” Rice said. “I asked our visitors center staff and they were excited. They never felt it was as convenient (at Front and Ninth) as it was when we had it on Grove Plaza.”

Restroom users ask for a key in the visitor center.

CCDC and Boise Centre have a maintenance agreement for Grove Plaza, where Boise Centre paid CCDC $750,000 toward the reconstruction of Grove Plaza, including air rights for the elevated Boise Centre concourse and the visitor center space and restrooms.

Operating the visitor center is expected to cost $56,000 for the first 18 months with Boise Centre and CCDC splitting the cost, Rice said.

The new visitor center will have more materials on tours, restaurants, hiking, walking and biking trails as well as wineries, McCall and Sun Valley and Boise area events.

Before the redesign, Boise Centre had exterior restrooms next to the former location of Taters shop on the Grove Plaza’s south spoke. But they were open only during public events on the plaza. They were closed when Grove Plaza reconstruction started in spring 2016 and demolished when Boise Centre renovations started.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 8:25 a.m. June 9 to clarify the Boise Centre’s $750,000 payment to CCDC.

Devil’s Corral could become a tourism destination

Privately owned Devil's Corral could become an eco-tourism destination just outside Twin Falls. Photo courtesy of Devil's Corral LLC.
Privately owned Devil’s Corral could become a tourism destination just outside Twin Falls. Photo courtesy of Devil’s Corral LLC.

Devil’s Corral could become a 21st century tourism attraction for the Magic Valley.

Devil’s Corral LLC rolled out a plan Sept. 8 to build a tourist destination that could eventually include a 400-foot high BASE jumping platform, zip line and 3,000-foot water slide, rock climbing, hiking and other extreme sports, a lodge, and a cluster of tiny homes and other single-family residences.

Devil’s Corral is located just east of Shoshone Falls and three miles east of the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls.

George Panagiotou, owner of Devils Corral LLC, has 200 acres along the north rim of the Snake River that also includes a dead-end canyon that has been known as Devil’s Corral since the 19th century.

Initial proposals for Devil's Corral include a base jumping platform, a zip line and a 3,000-foot water slide. Image courtesy of Devil's Corral LLC.
Initial proposals for Devil’s Corral include a base jumping platform, a zip line and a 3,000-foot water slide. Image courtesy of Devil’s Corral LLC.

Panagiotou has owned Devil’s Corral since 2000. He previously owned the Arrow Ranch in Bliss. Panagiotou founded Cool-Lux Lighting Industries, which produces non-heat lighting systems used in Hollywood.

“He’s been thinking for years what to do with this property,” said Bill Baker, Devil’s Corral’s vice president of environment activities. He said construction would start in 2018. “It’s time to do this.”

Few details are final in the Devils Corral plan, and there’s no cost estimate yet. The project must go through the permitting process, including acquiring water rights. Baker hopes to start unofficial discussions next month with Jerome County when firmer plans are in place. A private stock offering is scheduled for Feb. 16 to initiate funding.

“It’s a vision they have at this point,” said Arthur Brown, Jerome County’s planning and zoning administrator. “Right now I have nothing in front of me. We don’t have any proposal at this time.”

“We have to have a development plan to get the water rights,” Baker said. “The first thing is to get some recreation stuff put in.”

Brown said the property would need to be rezoned, because the existing agriculture zoning allows only one home per 40 acres.

Baker said the development of major employers in Twin Falls and the opening next year of the Gemstone Climbing Center in Twin Falls indicate the Magic Valley is ready for eco-tourism.

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, city and county officials from Twin Falls and Jerome counties, and business leaders and economic development officials attended the Devils’ Corral roll-out event Sept. 8.

Devil’s Corral will add a recreation option for a region best known for agribusiness, where there is rapid growth in housing and retail.

“Everywhere I go, people say we have a great quality of life,” said Jeff Hough, executive director of Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization. “To have a great quality of life, you have to define that. Devil’s Corral will help us define that great quality of life.”

The Devil’s Corral name dates from the early territorial years, said Mychel Matthews, a Magic Valley native who tracks the region’s history with her Hidden History articles in the Twin Falls Times-News.

“Devils Corral was a sort of ‘robbers’ roost’ during the 1870s and 1880s, used by southern Idaho rustlers to hold stolen horses,” Matthews said. ”The name became official when it appeared on an 1879 U.S. Corps of Engineers map.”

The Kinsey family acquired the Devil’s Corral in 1907 and for several years operated a wild animal park, Matthews said.

New Idaho Falls signs will show the way to 50 attractions

Idaho Falls is installing 150 wayfinding signs that will point out 50 different attractions. Photo courtesy of city of Idaho Falls.
Idaho Falls is installing 150 wayfinding signs that will point out 50 different attractions. Photo courtesy of city of Idaho Falls.

Idaho Falls is giving its residents and visitors a “to-do” list with about 150 wayfinding signs that will be installed in the next couple of months. These signs will point the direction to a combined 50 attractions reachable by car or on foot.

“This really creates an identity for our city that we haven’t had,” said Greg Weitzel, director of the Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation Department. “People say there’s nothing to do. There is a lot to do. People will be surprised to see there is a zoo, the Museum of Idaho, more than 50 parks, an archery range, a stock car track, the Japanese Friendship Garden” and many other attractions.

The blue signs for cars are eight feet tall – an increase from the original six feet that was evaluated to be two small – and two feet tall for pedestrians. These signs are the next phase after a series of vertical Idaho Falls banners were attached to downtown lampposts last year.

The signs are as much for residents as they are for visitors who drive by on the way to Yellowstone National Park, Weitzel said.

A 30-foot-wide monument sign crafted from lava rock will proclaim Idaho Falls to visitors coming off the freeway. Image courtesy of city of Idaho Falls.
A 30-foot-wide monument sign crafted from lava rock will proclaim Idaho Falls to visitors coming off the freeway. Image courtesy of city of Idaho Falls.

“We want them to realize it’s a great place and to stay an extra night,” he said.

The $600,000 project also includes a large lava rock and waterfall Idaho Falls welcome monument sign at Broadway and Interstate 15. Construction on the 12-foot tall, 30-foot-wide monument started May 2.

Gardner Co. is moving ahead with its two downtown Boise hotels

The Gardner hotels on Parcel B will have the look of metal and wood. Image courtesy of Gardner Co.
The Gardner hotels on Parcel B will have the look of metal and wood. Image courtesy of Gardner Co.

The Gardner Co.’s two hotels planned for downtown Boise’s Parcel B will reflect the property’s history as a railyard with façade textures, colors and material reminiscent of the metal and lumber of times past.

“We have given a lot of thought to history,” said Geoffrey Wardle, Gardner’s chief counsel and vice president of development.

Wardle and Gardner Senior Vice President David Wali introduced the company’s new $80 million two-hotel proposal Aug. 20 to the Greater Boise Auditorium District, which owns Parcel B, bounded by Myrtle, Front, 11th and 13th streets.

The prior visit Gardner officials made to GBAD involved a 220-or-so-room hotel and an apartment building. The company replaced the apartment building with a second hotel to increase the combined room count to 300 after GBAD Executive Director Pat Rice had publicly mentioned the Boise Centre, which GBAD owns and operates, need a full-service hotel with about 400 rooms.

Gardner’s proposal has scaled back its full-service hotel for Front and 11th streets to 170 rooms on seven stories and added a five-story, 130-room limited-service at Myrtle and 11th streets. The proposal also calls for an eight-level. 900-plus space parking garage that could have condominiums built atop it at a later date.

A fourth quadrant of Parcel B would remain undeveloped for the time being but could end up as a third hotel, an office building, retail or apartments at a later date, Wardle said.

More than half of the exteriors of both hotels will be clad with a mix of stone, metal panels and Nichiha fiber cement that “looks and feels like wood,” Wardle said.

Gardner intends to create a four-block grid on Parcel B. The lot has never been platted, Wardle noted.

There will not be streets for cars within the property, but the plan is to make it inviting for pedestrians and tap into the Pioneer Corridor walkway/bike path that connects the Boise River to downtown.

Gardner has a reputation of moving swiftly with construction projects, but a construction start date has not been set for these hotels.

“For us, it’s always too late,” Wali said. “There’s a chance it could (start in) November. Realistically, the first quarter.”

Construction is expected to take 18 months, he said.

Gardner Co. has not publicly revealed the hotel brands, but Wali did tell GBAD Executive Director Pat Rice that the company is negotiating with Embassy Suites. Wali and Wardle told the Idaho Business Review the second hotel would be an affiliate of the same hotel flag, and a single operator would operate both properties. Embassy Suites is a Hilton brand.

Wali expects to announce the hotel brands by the end of October.

The Gardner hotels are among four downtown Boise hotel proposals in the development stages. The Myrtle Street/Capitol Boulevard intersection has two active proposals with a Marriott Residence Inn and an Inn at 500 Capitol, and a Hyatt Place is under consideration for Bannock Street between 10th and 11th streets.

 

Wyndham Garden replaces Boise Hotel

The Wyndham Garden sign replaced the Boise Hotel sign on July 6. Photo by Teya Vitu.
The Wyndham Garden sign replaced the Boise Hotel sign on July 6. Photo by Teya Vitu.

The Boise Hotel starts its new life July 7 as the Wyndham Garden Boise Airport Hotel.

The white-and-green Wyndham Garden sign went up July 6 and the Wyndham identity became official July 7, said Jonathan Wray, director of sales.

Wyndham is the first of a three-part reinvention of the former three-building, 265-room Holiday Inn property at 3300 S. Vista Ave., just across Interstate 84 from Boise Airport.

As the Holiday Inn until 2011, the property had the second largest hotel room count in the Treasure Valley. But Salt Lake City-based Western Hospitality Group, the owners of Boise Hotel since September 2014, are bringing a one-property-fits-all philosophy with three different hotel brands.

Wyndham Garden, with 116 rooms, fills only the main building that includes the restaurant and 17,000-square-foot conference center.

Western Hospitality in the next few months intends to open a lower-budget Americas Best Value Inn with about 75 rooms in the second building along Sunrise Rim Road. The 70-room third building, which has been shuttered since 2008, will become Idaho’s first, as of now, Studio 6 Extended Stay, likely sometime next year, said Nick Bhati, Western Hospitality general manager in Boise.

Wyndham Garden will have an average daily rate of $105, ranging from $90 to $119. Americas Best Value will have lower rates and Studio 6 still lower rates. The idea was to fit all budget-conscious travelers.

“We decided when somebody drives into the parking lot, we don’t want them to go to any other hotel,” Bhati said.

Bhati plans to heavily market the Wyndham Garden as a conference center for corporate and government clients. He said the prior ownership was passive about marketing the property, but Wyndham staff will be in town soon to knock on corporate doors to introduce the first Wyndham hotel in the Pacific Northwest.

The Idaho Tax Commission needs no introductions. Education Director Jan Barnard has staged winter and summer property tax education courses for county assessors and their staff at the Boise Hotel for years.

“I was watching the upgrades,” Barnard said. “They are making it so much nicer. They are upgrading the rooms and the conference rooms.”

The conference rooms won’t be upgraded until next year, but Barnard’s 300 to 500 summer students will have upgraded rooms to stay in with granite top desks, safe, refrigerator, microwave and flat-screen TV. The hotel had 1990s box televisions until the last few months. Barnard’s students come from upward of 30 of Idaho’s 44 counties and a few other states.

“I think they will be delighted,” Barnard said.

Wray expects business travelers will be especially delighted with the CubieTime alarm clock, which also has two USB ports and two three-prong sockets and measures only 4.5 inches square.

“We believe we have the most friendly business alarm clock out there,” Wray said.

Western Hospitality Group put in a winning $2.95 million bid at a Sept. 2 bank auction, took ownership Oct. 21, landed the Wyndham brand, and started clearing out the first set of 30 rooms for renovation on Nov. 26.

Western Hospitality has four partners who, individually and as a group, own more than 35 hotels, but this Wyndham Garden is the company’s first full-service hotel with restaurant, bar and conference center.

The Boise Hotel intrigued the partners because of its large number of rooms, its conference center, its location near the airport, and Boise’s strength as a corporate and government center. Yet the Boise Hotel barely had 50 percent occupancy.

“Nobody had seen the potential,” Bhati said. “It was kind of rundown. Boise really is a good market and this is right across the freeway from the airport.”

The Western Hospitality owners are Tom Patel and Mike Chaudhari. They later brought Rocky Patel and Dharmesh Ahir into the ownership.

10-story hotel will replace Dunkley Music

Jared Smith (left) is buying the Dunkley Music property from Mark Dunkley to build a large hotel. Photo by Teya Vitu.
Jared Smith (left) is buying the Dunkley Music property from Mark Dunkley to build a large hotel. Photo by Teya Vitu.

Say good bye to Dunkley Music at its Capitol Boulevard and Broad Street location, where it has been since 1961.  Dunkley will be leaving downtown to make way for a 160-to-190-room extended-stay hotel.

A deal between hotel developer Jared S. Smith and second-generation Dunkley owner Mark Dunkley secured the music store property for Smith. A second deal got Smith the neighboring Winther property. Sales prices were not disclosed. Smith said the properties went under contract Feb. 27.

Mark Dunkley said the store owners had been thinking of moving their store to the west end of Boise for a couple of years. But the owners did repaint the Dunkley building just six months ago.

Mark’s father, William K. Dunkley, started Dunkley in March 1950. He bought the north part of the existing building in 1961 and acquired the southern part from Royal Crown Cola in 1974.

Mark Dunkley said the corner location across from Trader Joe’s has long been attractive to developers.

“I get calls once a month,” Dunkley said. “Jared came with the most viable product for the property that I felt good about. I think Jared is the right man for the project.”

A first look at the hotel Pennbridge Lodging has planned for Capitol and Broad. Image courtesy of Jared Smith.
A first look at the hotel Pennbridge Lodging has planned for Capitol and Broad. Image courtesy of Jared Smith.

Three years ago the Greater Boise Auditorium District eyed the Dunkley site for a new convention center, but GBAD eventually committed to expanding the Boise Centre at Grove Plaza as part of the Gardner Company City Center project. Dunkley at that time said he had no plans to sell his store unless GBAD paid him enough to move to a good new location.

Smith intends to build a branded 10-story hotel with studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom extended stay rooms with kitchenettes in each room. The projected cost exceeds $20 million, he said.

“I can’t tell you what (chain) it is, but we predominantly do Marriotts,” said Smith, principal at Pennbridge Lodging, an Eagle-based hotel development and operating firm. “This will be only the second branded hotel downtown (in the core).”

Smith’s hotel will be directly across Capitol from the other branded hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites. It will sit on 37,000 square feet, about .85 acre. He said he hoped for construction to start as soon as he had permits from the city, in about six months, and expected construction to take 12 to 14 months. He hopes to open the hotel at the end of 2016.

Smith and Thomas W. Lewis started Pennbridge Lodging and Pennbridge Capital in 2005 and now own and operate six hotels in Twin Falls, near Salt Lake City, in Orem and in Gunnison, Colo. They also own what was Intercontinental Hotels’ first Hotel Indigo hotel, in Atlanta, but Intercontinental operates that property.

They built all but two hotels. The Boise hotel will be their largest yet.

“We plan to own and operate this for decades,” Smith said.

Smith was born and raised in Meridian, went away for 16 years to study at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (hence the Pennbridge name) and do graduate work in real estate development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked at Starwood Capital, a private investment firm, once a major investor in Starwood Hotels & Resorts, before launching Pennbridge.

Smith returned to Boise four years ago.

Jared Smith plans to build a 160-190-room hotel across the street from the Hampton Inn & Suites. Photo by Teya Vitu.
Jared Smith plans to build a 160-190-room hotel across the street from the Hampton Inn & Suites. Photo by Teya Vitu.

The last large hotels built downtown were the Hampton Inn & Suites in 2007 and the Grove Hotel in 1997, all along Capitol Boulevard. Pennbridge’s hotel will also be along Capitol. That’s what convention visitors are looking for, said Carrie Westergard, executive director of the Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“We can go after larger conventions if we have an additional hotel, especially a branded one,” she said.

Smith is also looking toward the north end of Capitol Boulevard.

“A lot of the Legislature might stay here when they are in session,” Smith said. He added that the downtown market lacks extended-stay options.

“There is a real need downtown,” he said. “There is a lack of downtown hotels. We feel very comfortable with this.”

Boise Hotel upgrades moving quickly to become Wyndham Garden

Boise Hotel General Manager Troy DeRosier is overseeing the hotel's renovations into a Wyndham Garden. Photos by Teya Vitu.
Boise Hotel General Manager Troy DeRosier is overseeing the hotel’s renovations into a Wyndham Garden. Photos by Teya Vitu.

The new owners of the unbranded Boise Hotel have moved swiftly to transform a building that is stuck in the 1980s into a modern Wyndham Garden.

Salt Lake City-based Western Hospitality Group put in a winning $2.95 million bid at a Sept. 2 bank auction, took ownership Oct. 21, landed the Wyndham brand, and started clearing out the first set of 30 rooms for renovation on Nov. 26.

“We move as fast as we can to capture occupancy,” said Tom Patel, the managing partner.

The first phase of room renovations should be ready for customers by the end of January, though the Wyndham Garden name won’t be up until late spring or early summer, General Manager Troy DeRosier said.

The hotel will be the first Wyndham Garden in the Pacific Northwest.  The only others in the western states are in Carson City, Nev.; San Jose, Ventura and San Diego in California, and Phoenix, Ariz.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has no other hotels in the Pacific Northwest with the Wyndham at the front of the name and only three “by Wyndham” hotels: Hawthorne Suites by Wyndham in Kent, Wash., Wingate by Wyndham in Spokane, and Microtel Inn by Wyndham in Klamath Falls, Ore.

Carrie Westergard
Carrie Westergard

“Having a recognized brand like Wyndham will be fabulous,” said Carrie Westergard, the incoming executive director of the Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau, starting on Jan. 5. “It definitely adds value to the arsenal of properties.”

The hotel was built as a Holiday Inn in 1966 with 265 rooms in three buildings. One building was shut down in 2008, leaving the hotel to operate with 195 rooms.  Holiday Inn pulled out in January 2011.

This new era will have a different hotel in each building. The Wyndham Garden will occupy only the 114-room main building with the Castle Ranch Steakhouse, Sports Page Bar, 12,000-square foot conference center plus swimming pool and gym.

The 79-room second building will remain in operation either as the Boise Hotel or take on another brand. The third building will remain closed for now, but DeRosier foresees another hotel or a potential future extended stay use for that 70-room building at the rear of the property.

The second building will likely retain Boise Hotel room rates of $64 to $79, while Wyndham Garden rates will be higher.

“I will have options for any clientele, budget or higher end,” DeRosier said.

Each building will have its own check-in desk, but both buildings and potentially all three buildings will have use of the swimming pool and conference center in the Wyndham building, he said.

Wyndham describes itself as the “world’s largest hotel company,” including ownership of the Super 8 and Travelodge chains and several others. Wyndham Garden typically offers upper midscale rates at properties located primarily in business, airport and suburban locations. Rates have not been established for Boise, DeRosier said.

The Boise Hotel name will give way to Wyndham Garden in late spring or early summer.
The Boise Hotel name will give way to Wyndham Garden in late spring or early summer.

Western Hospitality has four partners who, individually and as a group, own more than 35 hotels, but the Boise Hotel/Wyndham Garden is their first full-service hotel with restaurant, bar and conference center.

“We operate a couple of other Wyndhams,” Patel said. “We have worked with Wyndham in the past. This was a good fit. I feel Wyndham is one of the larger hotel chains. They do a lot of corporate marketing. We will be targeting a lot of corporate clientele. This will be an all-in-one experience for corporate clients.”

DeRosier said along with Wyndham’s national sales team generating business for Boise, the Wyndham Garden here will also benefit from having travelers enrolled in Wyndham rewards programs steered toward the hotel when visiting Boise.

“We anticipate Wyndham giving us a 30 to 40 percent increase in occupancy,” DeRosier said.

The rooms are getting stripped clean of everything except the four-year-old carpets, which Wyndham deemed useable for now, DeRosier said.

Cultured marble countertops made with marble dust, limestone and fiberglass resin will be replaced with granite countertops.

The Holiday Inn/Boise Hotel rooms had no closets, just exposed hanger rods. Wyndham standards call for closets to be built into every room, DeRozier said.

The $1.5-$2.5 million remodel will give each room new beds, linens, desks and 42-inch flat-screen, high-definition televisions.

The old furnishings and furniture are being donated to the Idaho Youth Ranch and Second Chance Building Materials Center, DeRosier said.

“It’s time. It’s just past its due,” he said. ”The last major overhaul was in the 1980s. The furniture itself is from the 90s, some from the 2000s. That’s part of the reason we were deflagged (from Holiday Inn).”

The other part was bank foreclosure on the prior ownership, Trinity Bay Hotels, in 2012, which led to bank ownership of the Boise Hotel until Western Hospitality won the bank auction.

The Western Hospitality owners are Tom Patel and Mike Chaudhari. They later brought Rocky Patel and Dharmesh Ahir into the ownership.

New owner takes over Boise Hotel near airport

New owners will bring renovations and a franchise to Boise Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Brad Iverson-Long.
New owners will bring renovations and a franchise to Boise Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Brad Iverson-Long.

A Utah group has bought the unbranded Boise Hotel & Conference Center on Vista Avenue near Boise Airport.

Western Hospitality, LLC, based in West Haven, Utah, took ownership on Oct. 21 and plans to reflag the hotel with a national chain, said Rakesh Patel, one of the partners.

“We are working to bring in a franchise in a couple months,” Patel said. “We are talking with four or five franchises.”

The 195-room hotel was a Holiday Inn until August 2012 but has had no flag since then. The Boise Hotel has 12,000 square feet of meeting space and the Castle Ranch Steak House.

“The problem is it’s not a heavily trafficked restaurant,” Patel said.

Patel said the new operating franchiser will likely undertake extensive interior renovations in the rooms and lobby, and will change the furniture.

Western Hospitality is the limited liability corporation for just the Boise Hotel. Patel said he owns about a half dozen hotels elsewhere and his partners own dozens more hotels.