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Hotel construction reaches milestone
by Heather M. Smith, Staff writer
In celebration of a pivotal point in the development of the Courtyard by Marriott Dallas-Allen hotel, officials gathered last week at the construction site at U.S. 75 and Stacy Road for the topping out ceremony.
“We are excited to see the Courtyard by Marriott reach this milestone, bringing us closer to the opening this fall,” said Gar Herring, president of The MGHerring Group. “Having a high quality hotel as part of The Village at Allen will complement our shops, restaurants and the Allen Event Center.”
Topping out ceremonies are usually held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. A tree or leafy branch is placed on the topmost beam, often with flags and streamers tied to it. Ceremonies can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian religious practice of placing a tree on the top of a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits of their ancestors that had been displaced.
Once the project is finished, the hotel will feature cutting-edge technology, private, yet energetic common areas, a local library and the MarketTM guest store. The nine-story, 228-room/suite hotel also includes a 9,300 square foot conference center, which is expected to represent the largest meeting event space in Allen. The hotel is scheduled to open in the fall and is expected to represent 125 new jobs in the area with recruitment fairs planned for late summer.
John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts owns and will operate the hotel and conference center. The company is the nation’s leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites. The MGHerring Group is the developer and has developed over 30 major shopping centers and regional malls in the U.S. and Mexico. Crossland Construction, one of the fastest growing general contractors in the United States, is the contractor for the hotel.
Bob Fugazi, regional vice president for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, presided over topping-out festivities.
“This is a great ceremony; we’re really starting to see details of the hotel emerge” Fugazi said. “One thing about Mr. Hammons is that he almost never builds the same hotel twice and he always builds lots of meeting space, which is a great recession proof component.”
During the event, Fugazi introduced Stacy Polk as hotel director of sales and the first member of the facilities’ executive team. Polk is an Allen native, who has experience with Marriott International, Inc., “Celebrating the topping out of the Courtyard by Marriott Dallas-Allen Hotel & Conference Center is a testament to John Q. Hammons’ commitment to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The property will represent our fifth in the area, all serving as anchors in thriving communities,” Fugazi said. “Stacy’s in-depth knowledge of the area and the Courtyard by Marriott brand will help ensure success as we build our property management team.”
Mayor Stephen Terrell, who also attended the event, commented on the hotel being the tallest building from Allen to the Oklahoma border, resulting in spectacular views.
“The completion of this project will make Allen a destination point,” Terrell said. “People will come from all over and be able to work, live and play here. This hotel is a quality project and Buddy [Herring] and Gar [Herring] are great to work with.”
Guests of the event were invited to take “hard-hat” tours of the facility. Because of the windy day, they walked up 10 flights of stairs and were greeted with the view from the roof of the hotel. Guests could see surrounding towns’ water towers, all of Allen and Downtown Dallas from the roof. The hotel is 25 miles from Downtown Dallas located in The Village at Allen.
The Village at Allen, which opened in October 2008, is one component of The MGHerring Group’s 3-million-square-foot, regional, mixed-use lifestyle center located in both Allen and Fairview. The hotel and conference center complex is located near the new $50 million Allen Event Center, set to open November 2009. The center will offer a venue for concerts, top touring shows, family entertainment and professional sports. Doug Waugh, new general manager for the Allen Event Center, was formally introduced at the hotel topping-out ceremony.
“Our goal will be to create a bright spot that gives our guests a chance to escape into the magic and lasting memories that live entertainment creates,” Waugh said.
Contact Heather Smith at HSmith@acnpapers.com.
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