Fort Worth Lands State's 2nd Cambria Suites

FORT WORTH-A Keller, TX developer plans to break ground in January on a 118-room Cambria Suites in North Fort Worth. The franchisee of Silver Springs, MD-based Choice Hotels International Inc. is the chain’s first female developer.

Ridgeline Hospitality LLC, led by Dr. Diana Driscoll, will plant the hotel at the corner of Interstate 35 W and Fossil Bluff Drive. Driscoll, whose background runs the CRE gamut, hopes to develop upscale boutique hotels in the Southwest, according to her corporate website. Choice Hotels and Driscoll could not be reached by deadline.

“With this property planned for Fort Worth, we’ve truly reached a milestone for this new brand,” William Edmundson, president of Cambria Suites for Choice Hotels, says in a press release. “This is a great example of having the right product at the right time in the right location.” The chain has 63 Cambria-flagged hotels in its portfolio.

A comparably sized Cambria Suites would cost about $15 million to develop based on today’s market, with construction typically taking 12 to 15 months. In Biloxi, MS, a franchisee is developing a 160-room Cambria Suites for $20 million. The amenity roster includes a 24/7 convenience store, fitness center and 1,000 sf of meeting space.

The Choice Hotels’ brand has only one other property in the state: a 126-room Cambria Suites at 8505 Broadway near the international airport in San Antonio. The under-construction hotel will come on line in January.

Starting in 2009, Choice Hotels will see the fruits of its expansion efforts begin to unfold in Texas. Also breaking ground in January is a 120-room hotel at 7485 Wurzbach Rd. in the San Antonio Medical Center. Developer Medical Cambria Hotel Ltd. tentatively has penciled January 2010 for the opening. The same developer will start work in June 2009 on a 129-key hotel at 17703 Interstate 35 N in Schertz, with its opening slated for June 2010. In December 2009, Allied Valley Ventures III Ltd. will break ground on a 110-suite project at 901 S. Shary Rd. in Mission. Its opening is eyed for December 2010. Also in San Antonio, Summit Hospitality V LLC is planning to build a 120-room hotel at the intersection of Sonterra Boulevard and US Hwy. 281, but the start and completion dates have yet to be set.