Here’s some more “suite” news for visitors to Port St. Lucie.
A new 114-room hotel will soon be coming to The Promenade of St. Lucie West. The developer received approval to change the site plans to swap out office space with the four-story Home2 Suites by Hilton.
Developer Amin Gulamali purchased the site a year ago and expects to break ground on the hotel in early 2018, he told St. Lucie Voice. If all goes according to plan, travelers can book rooms sometime in the first quarter of 2019.
“I don’t know why the other owners didn’t build the hotel or the office,” Gulamali said, referring to the original and later-modified site plans.
The original site plan called for a hotel site on the 6.36 acre property. The then-owner had the site modified to replace the hotel with a single-story, 16,000-square-foot office building.
Already, The Promenade of St. Lucie West is home to Carrabba’s Italian Grill, which was built as the first of three phases. A second restaurant is planned as part of the third and final phase. That restaurant, which has not yet been named, is approved for 5,585 square feet.
The 65,822-square-foot Home2 Suites is the second phase and will be located along SW Fountainview Boulevard.
According to documents Gulamali provided from Hilton, Home2 Suites has a “hip and humble” philosophy, a new way for “extended-stay” with an “unexpected sense of style.” Hilton is targeting “savvy, value-wise, extended-stay guests” with the Home2 Suites brand, according to the documents.
There will be pet-friendly suites, a walking trail along the perimeter of the hotel site, a fitness center with laundry, and a saline pool, to note a few of the amenities.
Guest suites range from Studio – an open layout with a curtain separating the bedroom space from the living space – to a One-Bedroom, which will have a door separating the bedroom from the rest of the room.
Each suite will be 323 square feet, according to the parameters Hilton has set out for all development of the Home2 Suites hotels. The rooms will have “hip and stylish innovations,” the paperwork states.
The suites will have a kitchen area equipped with a full-size refrigerator and microwave, along with a dishwasher and sink. Essentials such as plates, cups, silverware and microwave-friendly cookware will be stocked.
The hotel lobby is to be designed to invoke a coffee-house vibe rather than a typical lobby, according to the design requirements. A “market” will include refrigerated and frozen items along with shelf-stable staples. And a Business Services Area will be equipped with two computer stations and a shared printer.
An outdoor patio and lounge along with a grilling area are meant to draw guests outside. “This particular hotel is geared towards all age groups from Gen-X to seniors,” Gulamali said. “Hilton’s products and innovative designs place their brand as one of the top hotel brands in the world. We are very happy that we are building this hotel in Port St. Lucie, which will be generating about 25 new jobs in the area.”
