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Photos by Kip Brannon.
RAM Hotels held a groundbreaking on Feb. 29 for the future Courtyard and Residence Inn dual-brand hotel site.
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Photos by Kip Brannon.
Matthew Robbins, financial and investment analyst for RAM CRE; Mark Robbins, vice president of development and construction for RAM Hotels; and Sherry Emmerke, regional director of sales for RAM Hotels at the groundbreaking of a dual-brand hotel concept on U.S. 280.
The Grandview area is getting a new hotel soon — two new hotels, according to Mitesh Patel, chief operating officer and co-founder of RAM Hotels.
“We’re building a Courtyard and Residence Inn,” he said at a press conference and groundbreaking on Feb. 29. “It’s going to be two hotels in one.”
The 180-room, dual-brand concept will be built behind Marriott Birmingham, which is located just off U.S. 280 at 3590 Grandview Parkway.
“We’re going to have two very distinct brands,” Patel said. “Courtyard is a business travel brand. It’s a full-service hotel; it has a restaurant and bar — a very upscale product.”
Residence Inn, RAM Hotels’ extended stay brand, will offer one-bedroom suites with full kitchenettes.
“It is one of the most sought-after hotel products in the hotel industry,” Patel said of Residence Inn. “To get an opportunity to do both of these hotels over here is an incredible dream come true.”
The dual-brand concept has been a growing trend in recent years and offers wins for both hotels and guests — it cuts costs by sharing resources and offers the amenities of two hotels rather than just one, Patel said.
The new Courtyard and Residence Inn joins five other RAM Hotels in the metro area, three of which are in the Colonnade/Grandview area: Home2 Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites and Springhill Suites by Marriott.
The new dual-brand hotel is the “third go” at a build on that site, said Rinkesh Patel, CEO and co-founder of RAM Hotels. He said a developer acquired the property in 2002 and got a building plan approved for a Holiday Inn Express, but nothing ever happened. RAM Hotels eventually bought the land and got a design for a Residence Inn approved by local officials, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“We put it on a pause,” Rinkesh Patel said.
When they came back to the project, the option of a dual-branded hotel was possible, he said. “For us, it makes so much more sense.”
The doors should open in 18 months, according to Sherry Emmerke, regional director of sales for RAM Hotels. The cities of Birmingham and Hoover have both been in support of the project.
“It’s important we all work together to bring great businesses into our city that bring great jobs into our city,” Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said. “People don’t know where the lines are; they know where the good restaurants are, as long as the food’s good and the service is good. … We all work very, very hard together to bring quality businesses, quality hotels, quality jobs and just a wonderful quality of life to this entire area.”
The 750,000 people who visited the Hoover Met complex last year made use of RAM Hotels around the city, Brocato said. “We all don’t have enough hotels in our particular cities, so thank you for investing in Birmingham, thank you for investing in Alabama, and we wish you all the luck in the world.”
