Daily Record Financial News &
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 218 • Two Sections
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Up to $20M investment in hotel
Southbank Lexington renovations to be completed by end of 2016 By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor By the end of 2016, Vantage Hospitality Group hopes to complete a $15 million to $20 million renovation of the Lexington Hotel & Conference Center Jacksonville Riverwalk. The extensive work will include a top-to-bottom update that, among other changes, will conceal some of the painted interior pipes that served as part of
a décor designed 34 years ago to resemble the interior of a ship. “It’s a great structure,” said Bernie Moyle, COO and CFO of Vantage Hospitality. He said Tuesday the hotel has “good bones” but needs a full makeover. Vantage Hospitality will retain a nautical theme, but in the colors of blue, gray and white with organic accents, replacing the current color scheme. Drop ceilings will minimize some of the
Chasing dream of chasing storms
exposed mechanical elements. Gary Rito, president of the Vantage Hospitality affiliate Brown Nester Hospitality Services, said Tuesday the work should start in October with the first phase of guest-room remodeling. Brown Nester will manage the hotel renovations, whose cost comes on top of the $9 million purchase price in June. The first phase will encompass one wing of 144 rooms and hall corridors in the 323-room hotel.
Rooms will be renovated in phases with new carpeting, windows, balconies, doors and furnishings as well as redesigned bathrooms. The hotel will remain open during the project. The work will include an exterior re-facing, roof replacement, new windows, a renovated porte cochere in the front, the addition of a porte cochere at the entrance of the convention center in the back along Prudential Drive, a
remodeled pool area and a redesigned fifth-floor terrace. In the ground-floor public areas, the lobby, lounge and restaurant will see significant upgrades. Carpeting will be replaced by hard flooring and new furnishings will be added throughout, in addition to the drop ceilings. The lobby will be redesigned and moved closer to the front, opening up a sight-line to the Lexington continued on Page A-3
Sandalwood grad one of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters
By Marilyn Young Editor
Hurricane Hunter
Public
continued on
Page A-7
Adding color to Hemming Park Kate Rouh and her husband, Kenny, were tiling Hemming Park’s 72-foot-long wall on Monday. The Jacksonville artists teamed up with the Friends of Hemming Park for the project, with a mission to “revive and transform Jacksonville’s original public square.” Project supporters offered personal sponsorships by purchasing tiles at this year’s One Spark festival.
Photos by Carole Hawkins
It was easy to find young Ian Sears when there was a thunderstorm rumbling through his Jacksonville neighborhood. He’d be under the carport, watching the storm build throughout the afternoon. And he’d always keep an eye out to see if he could catch lightning strike a tree. Once, when there were snow flurries in Jacksonville, Sears couldn’t wait to get outside to watch the little flakes drifting from the skies. And as a 7-year-old weather aficionado, it was Sears who was getting the oil ready for the hurricane lamps as Hurricane Hugo approached the East Coast in September 1989. Tracking the powerful hurricane’s path was “absolutely fascinating,” Sears said. Now, the 2000 Sandalwood High School graduate tracks storms for a Sears living. Sears has been a flight director with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunters since 2009. The team flies through tropical storms and hurricanes, gathering data to track the path and intensity. His first flight was in 2009 during Hurricane Bill, which he described as a “category 4 with a nice eye.” That nice eye had a lot of sunshine breaking through. “It was very picturesque,” Sears said. On that first flight, Sears wasn’t a working crew member. The flight instructor told him to bring his camera and enjoy the moment. He wouldn’t have that chance again.
Hotels finally put recession behind By Max Marbut Staff Writer After several years of slow business, the local lodging and tourism industries have recovered. In 2009, many Duval County hotels had occupancy rates in the mid-50s. Recent data shows July’s occupancy rate at 73.6 percent for Duval County hotels. “Overall, we’re very close to where we were when the recession started,” said Katie Mitura, Visit Jacksonville director of marketing and product development. The organization is the convention and
legal notices begin on page
B-1
visitor’s bureau for Jacksonville and the Beaches and analyzes statistics related to hotel occupancy and room rates paid by guests. In addition to occupancy, the average daily rate charged per room also has risen to $84.29. Last year, the rate was $76.44. That has led to an increase in a third statistic — revenue per available room — which is $62.03, up from $52.86 last year. Mitura said it’s the most important statistic because it reveals the profitability of the hotel business when revenue is considered with overhead expenses. July was the 22nd consecutive for growth in that area.
Published
for
“It costs about the same to run a full hotel as it does a half-empty hotel,” she said. “Even if occupancy remains flat, when revenue per room goes up, hoteliers are making more money.” A major component of the local tourism business surviving the national economic downturn was an increase in marketing funds allotted to Visit Jacksonville. At the lowest point of occupancy in 2009, Dan King, then general manager of the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, said his hotel and others were facing a crisis.
26,748
Hotels
continued on
Page A-4
consecutive weekdays