Hotel operating, management and development company First Hospitality assumed management and operations of the upcoming Hotel Ardent, Dayton, Ohio; the Lively Hotel, Oklahoma City; and the recently opened Tempo by Hilton Louisville Downtown NuLu (Ky.) bringing the number of lifestyle properties to more than 25 in its overall portfolio of 70 hotels.
The company also is set to open and has assumed management of seven new restaurants, bringing the total number to more than 30 restaurants in the portfolio, including its first international property, Carnivale Bahamas on Paradise Island.
First Investors, an affiliate of First Hospitality, invested in the Tempo by Hilton Louisville Downtown Nulu and the Hotel Ardent, slated to open this fall.
The Tempo by Hilton Louisville Downtown NuLu is a 130-room hotel with two dining options—Moonsong Bar + Café on the first floor and High Stakes Grill on the rooftop.
When it opens in the fall, the 118-room Hotel Ardent will be part of Hilton's Tapestry Collection. First Hospitality will also manage Bistecca, a Tuscan steakhouse in the hotel.
First Hospitality will manage each of these hotels and restaurants.
In partnership with Veritas Development, Gatehouse Capital is leading the development of Lively Hotel at OAK, scheduled to open in late August. The 132-key boutique hotel is an important component of OAK, a new mixed-use community in Oklahoma City. Lively Hotel is First Hospitality’s first Oklahoma property and will become the first Tapestry Collection by Hilton in the state. The hotel’s restaurant, Cloud Puncher, is also managed by First Hospitality and will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner and provide poolside service.
“It’s exciting to see the growth of lifestyle developments in both our hotel and restaurant portfolios, especially in new markets,” David Duncan, CEO of First Hospitality and First Investors, said in a statement. “With the expert skill set of our teams and proprietary technology and operating platform, First Hospitality is well positioned to continue to expand in lifestyle accommodations and restaurants as we approach our 40-year company milestone.”
Duncan added that the company assumed management and will be opening Carnivale Bahamas, its first international venture. “Carnivale Bahamas will bring a new energy and the “wow factor” to Paradise Landing and Hurricane Hole Superyacht Marina and will open early fall.”
Carnivale Bahamas will follow the original Carnivale in Chicago. Serving a similar pan-Latin cuisine, Carnivale Bahamas will have 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces.
First Hospitality also recently added Coa and Assembly American Brasserie to its restaurant management portfolio. Coa, located at The Drake Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Ill., another First Hospitality-managed property, opened on March 25.