March 26, 2021 – Houston-based American Liberty Hospitality will open the doors to a 319-room dual-branded hotel in the Galleria area on March 31.
The 14-story combined Holiday Inn Express-Galleria Area and StayBridge Suites Houston-Galleria, located at 2351 W. Loop South, will offer 169 standard rooms, as well as 150 extended-stay options. Both brands are franchises of U.K.-based InterContinental Hotels Group. The property includes 2,600 square feet of meeting and event space.
“We believe that the timing of this opening coincides perfectly with the return of business and leisure travel nationwide,” said Nick Massad, CEO of American Liberty Hospitality.
The new hotel marks American Liberty Hospitality’s second dual-branded hospitality property in Houston. The company opened a 300-room joint Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton property at 710 Crawford St. downtown in 2016. American Liberty Hospitality broke ground on its Galleria-area hotel in 2019.
Houston-based Arch-Con Corp. served as general contractor for the project, while Houston-based MCS Architects designed the property. Construction financing was provided by Plains Capital Bank and Artemis Real Estate Partners.
The combined Holiday Inn Express-Galleria Area and StayBridge Suites Houston-Galleria is designed to cater to visitors seeking lower-cost hotel options, American Liberty Hospitality said. However, the hotel will offer a number of upscale amenities, including a lobby bar with full-service food and beverage options that will offer complimentary social hours for Staybridge Suites guests. Visitors can also enjoy the hotel’s rooftop pool and a grab-and-go retail outlet with an evolving selection of unique-to-Houston gift items.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hotel’s developers have added a series of new safety measures, including touchless technologies, medical-grade filtration systems and keyless check-in options.
“We’re excited to welcome this new-build hotel to the Houston hospitality landscape,” said Jorge Franz, senior vice president of tourism and industry relations at Houston First Corp. “We are starting to experience a jump in occupancy at other Houston hotels, and we are hopeful these numbers will continue to trend in that direction as we get further into the year.”
American Liberty Hospitality also has another dual-branded hotel project expected to open in 2021, according to its website. The dual-branded The Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites by Hilton project broke ground in November 2019 at the southwest corner of Almeda Road and Holcombe Boulevard on the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus.