Through Innovative Approaches To Hospitality, JLL’s Project And Development Services Meets Growing Needs Of Modern Travelers

Tourism along the Eastern Seaboard has been on a constant upswing. To meet growing hospitality demand, East Coast hotels are competing to attract these travelers, leaning on external partners — including real estate investors — who have intimate market knowledge and innovative ideas to help hotel properties stand out. 

As a new generation of travelers values experiences over things, one shift hotels are making is to a greater emphasis on experiential offerings. And properties are being revamped accordingly: The Darcy, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, partnered with JLL to transform the D.C.-based property into an eclectic, 226-room boutique hotel providing a chic amenity space with dining, meeting and event space designed to offer authentic, original and local experiences. 

This includes eateries featuring D.C. celebrity chefs David Guas and Robert Wiedmaier, the Washington Business Journal reported, allowing visitors a more immersive experience of place. 

Julia Wright, director of the JLL Project & Development Services Hotel and Hospitality Group, said this $22M renovation not only increased the hotel’s value to both ownership and guests, it helped drive development momentum of tourist offerings in the Dupont Circle community.

In St. Michaels, Maryland, the Inn at Perry Cabin sought a strategic renovation plan that would honor the historic property and luxury experience for the customer while also modernizing for the future. The property retained JLL to manage the upgrade of its 78 guest rooms while the hotel remained open and operational.

JLL recently launched the Select-Service Practice Group created to serve a broader spectrum of hospitality services in the hotel investment cycle. The group develops destinations for select-service hotel brands and operators by managing the design and construction across a broad range of spaces to meet the rising demand in the national hospitality sector. 

“The industry’s steady trend toward select-service is undeniable, and with that comes an opportunity for these brands to boost profit margins and tailor their product to today’s evolving traveler,” Wright said. “JLL is answering that demand with the launch of a new select-service practice group comprising the very best hospitality and project management experts.” 

Wright added that over the past five years, JLL has managed more than 100 hotel renovations and new build projects on behalf of its clients with its Project and Development Services hotel and hospitality offerings.

This feature was produced in collaboration between Bisnow Branded Content and JLL Mid Atlantic. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.