A week after The Cordish Co broke ground on a resort hotel at its Maryland Live! Casino, it announced that it bought two Hilton-operated properties that will enhance the casino's hotel inventory.

Cordish purchased a Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites across the street from the casino to be called Live Lofts, the Baltimore Business Journal reports. The $3M renovations of the rebranded 250-room hotel will wrap up mid-2017. The property, previously owned by real estate investment firm The Buccini/Pollin Group, will remain open to guests. Cordish's $200M Live Hotel will open early 2018 with 310 rooms and a 1,500-seat performance center.

It's the first of many hotels the privately held Baltimore developer is plotting across the country and internationally. Its hotel expansion in Maryland will face more competition when MGM National Harbor casino resort debuts by the end of the year in Prince George's County. [BBJ]