October 12, 2010 - The former Memorial Hospital in Albuquerque has been reborn as Hotel Parq Central, a luxury, 74-room boutique hotel in the trendy EDo (east of downtown) area of the Duke City.

Hotel Parq Central, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, opened in late September, in time for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

The hotel was created by a group of seven Santa Fe investors, including David Oberstein, owner of Santa Fe's Oberstein Properties, and Marc Bertram of SF Brown Real Estate.

Oberstein discussed the new hotel recently at his offices on Lincoln Avenue, across from Santa Fe City Hall.

After the former hospital property became vacant in 2007, the investors considered several options, including a new hospital, doctors offices and residential condominiums.

"The only thing that really made sense was a hotel," Oberstein said of the longtime landmark property at 806 Central Ave.

The planned hotel is in an historic district, and as a result, "it was meticulously designed to reference the historic old Memorial Hospital (in Albuquerque) that first opened in 1926 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places," a statement said.

Among the New Mexico companies that worked on the hotel were Studio Southwest Architects, Klinger Constructors and HVL Interiors, Oberstein said.

He added: "The city of Albuquerque couldn't have been more helpful" in facilitating the permitting process.

Los Alamos National Bank was the lead lender on the $21 million project, which also included U.S. Bank Community Development Corp., two tax-credit programs, Finance New Mexico and the Santa Fe investors.

The latter, other than Oberstein and Marc Bertram, a Santa Fe businessman and president of SF Brown Real Estate, asked not to be named.

"It was a pretty complicated financial structure," Oberstein said, pointing to several shelves of loan documents in his office.

The hotel, which is on a 2.3-acre site, has 74 rooms, 15 suites and three cottages.

The front entrance of the hotel features a grand staircase that has been restored, with the interior columns finished with hand-made New Mexico tile, the statement said.

The 1926-era windows were salvaged, a process that made use of the frames, sashes, jams and the tile below the windows.

The hotel has a rooftop "Apothecary Lounge" with skylight and mountain views where guests may enjoy 1920s-themed cocktails as well as tapas.

There are three gardens in a one-half acre outdoor space that contains a deck, a hot tub and a conservatory opening onto a plaza.

Rates at Hotel Parq Central begin at $179 per night, which includes free parking, a gourmet breakfast and free Internet access in guest rooms and public areas. There are seven pet-friendly rooms.

Oberstein said he's "setting up accounts" with online travel sites, which typically offer discounted room rates.

Hotel Parq Central "is not trying to be a large-group hotel," Oberstein said, but the property does feature two meeting rooms and event areas and can accommodate up to 150 people for special meetings and events.

The hotel is within walking distance of the Rail Runner's downtown station. Free shuttle service is available within three miles of the property.

For more information, call 505-242-0040 or visit hotelparqcentral.com.

Contact Bob Quick at 986-301 or [email protected].

-----

To see more of The Santa Fe New Mexican, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.santafenewmexican.com/.

Copyright (c) 2010, The Santa Fe New Mexican

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).