TRAVERSE
CITY, MICH. � Construction is underway on a three-story, 92-room Cambria
Suites hotel owned by local developer TC 92 Suites, LLC, and located at
255 Munson Avenue adjacent to the Best Western Four Seasons.
�I�m confident that both business and leisure travelers visiting Traverse
City will love the sophisticated technology, personal environment and contemporary
style that this Cambria Suites hotel will provide,� said Alex Mowczan of
TC 92 Suites, LLC, and owner of the Best Western. �I�m proud to see
this new, upscale brand come to Traverse City.�
A Choice Hotels International franchise, Cambria Suites hotels offer
stylish, more intimately-decorated guest rooms that are 25 percent larger
than standard hotel rooms and include flat-screen LCD televisions, CD/DVD
players, MP3 jacks and complementary wired and wireless high-speed internet
access throughout the property. Hotel amenities include Reflect,
for casual breakfasts and dinners, with a barista coffee bar and full bar;
Refresh, a state-of-the-art, expanded fitness center with resort-style
pool and spa; and Refill, a 24/7 convenience store featuring freshly-prepared
gourmet salads and sandwiches, healthy and organic foods and typical convenience
fare. Over 1,000 square feet of meeting space will also be available.
The development is less than two miles from several Traverse City points
of interest like the Cherry Capital Airport, the Grand Traverse County
Civic Center, downtown Traverse City, Boardman Lake, Grand Traverse Bay,
Northwest Michigan College and two golf courses. Its placement in this
central location offers both leisure and business travelers easy mobility
and abundant opportunities within the area.
�SkipStone Crossing is designed to be an intimate, walkable community
with an emphasis on people, not automobiles,� said Michael Wills, the project�s
director of development.
Scheduled to open in Spring, 2009, the upscale hotel is the first of
several mixed-use phases planned for SkipStone Crossing, a five-acre, Smart
Growth community being developed at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula.
Future phases of the project in the planning stage include a Senior Independent
Living Community and a three-story commercial building with street-level
retail shops and upper level offices prominently located at the corner
of Munson (US-31) and East Front Street.
SkipStone Crossing is a new, thoughtfully planned community,
employing the best practices of Smart Growth and New Urbanism in support
of sustainability for our region. The five acre site is geographically
located at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula midway between East and
West bays. Conveniently located on Munson Avenue (US 31) adjacent to the
Dennos Museum and Northwestern Michigan College, SkipStone Crossing is
highly visible and easily accessible. The Civic Center, Munson Community
Health Center and several churches, parks, beaches and stores are within
easy walking distance.
SkipStone Crossing will draw on the character of Traverse City's famous
downtown and residential neighborhoods, providing a rich mix of housing
types, shops, services, offices and an upscale hotel. An intimate, human-scaled
environment with a pedestrian orientation is achieved by hiding much of
the parking below and behind the buildings, yet providing sufficient surface
and street parking to accommodate patrons and guests.
A master plan has been developed that allows sufficient flexibility
to adapt to the market and the specific needs of prospective businesses
and residents, who can choose to own or lease an entire building, a floor
or just a unit. Construction will be accomplished in phases, determined
by space commitments.
Construction of an upscale 92 room, three story Cambria Suites hotel
( a Choice Hotels brand) is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2008, opening
summer 2009. The hotel will feature an expanded pool & fitness club
that will serve hotel guests as well as other SkipStone Crossing residents
and businesses. A comfortable food and beverage area offers a coffee bar,
full-service bar, full breakfast buffet and quick-service dining.
The existing Best Western Hotel, immediately adjacent to the east of
SkipStone, will remain in operation as it is today.
A cafe' and other shops will find a ready market for their goods and
services in the nearby NMC students and faculty, Dennos Museum patrons,
SkipStone occupants and residents of the neighborhood with approximately
5,500 potential customers within 500 feet. The orientation of the buildings
(see Site Plan) is particularly ideal for street-level shops with offices
& residential units above.
As much as 8,000 sf of office space can be accommodated in the corner
building at Munson Ave (US 31) and E Front St. Businesses will immediately
see the strategic advantages of the prominent, central, in-town location
on a major highway with high visibility, annual daily average traffic counts
of approximately 20,000 vehicles per day and easy access.
A retirement community with approximately 140 independent living units
designed for active seniors is in the design stage. Each apartment home
has a full kitchen, but meals are available in central dining rooms, along
with cleaning service, maintenance, and other services, amenities and activities.
The in-town location and proximity to the college, civic center, museum
affords residents many opportunities for enrichment, unlike most retirement
communities where the distance from town isolates the residents. Residents
and employees will appreciate the basement level parking, conveniently
hidden below the structure. www.SkipStoneCrossing.com |
About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International franchises more than 5,500 hotels, representing
more than 450,000 rooms, in the United States and 37 countries and territories.
As of December 31, 2007, 1,004 hotels are under development in the United
States, representing 79,342 rooms, and an additional 89 hotels, representing
8,640 rooms, are under development in more than 15 countries and territories.
The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion,
Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge
and Rodeway Inn brands serve guests worldwide. |