The Wine Institute estimates that nearly 24 million people visit the 4,653 wineries in Californiaâs wine regions each year. That tourism's economic impact in the state, which last year totaled $57.6 billion, includes a robust hospitality and lodging market. While construction slowed a bit last year, there were 26 hotels with 2,204 rooms in the planning stages for northern Californiaâs vineyard-rich Sonoma County, and 13 hotels with 1,621 rooms being planned for Napa Valley, according Atlas Hospitality Groupâs 2016 California Hotel Development Survey.
Earlier this month, construction began on one of those establishments, the $24 million, 122-key Hotel Trio in Healdsburg, Calif., which CU Investors, its developer, expects to open next April.
The 82,638-sf hotel, situated in the Sonoma wine country, will serve the Dry Creek, Russian River, and Alexander Valley areas (hence, the âtrioâ). It will be within walking distance of a host of wineries and have convenient access to hundreds more within a 30-mile radius of the site.
The hotel will include 13 one-bedrooms and 109 studios, and primarily will target individuals and couples who are staying over for a few nights, says Bill Wilhelm, president of R.D. Olson Construction, the GC on this project, who spoke with BD+C earlier this week.
âThe hotel will bring a much-needed, cost-effective option to the area for visitors who are looking for a high-end experience in a prime location,â said Matt Grubb, Olsonâs Vice President of Construction, in a prepared statement.
Hotel Trioâs amenities will include a bar, meeting room, outdoor pool, barbecue area, lounge, fully equipped fitness center, and multiple outdoor patios with fireplaces. There will be on-premises wine tasting events, and Wilhelm expects the hotel to eventually tie into some of the local vineyards.
The facility will offer guests on-site bicycle rentals, as biking is a very popular transportation mode for touring wine country. (Wilhelm says Olson has incorporated bike-rental services in several of its newer hotels, including one that itâs completing near Los Angeles International Airport.)
Axis/GFA Architecture + Design is the designer of Hotel Trio, which Wilhelm says draws some of its design featuresâsuch as its Craftsman-style exterior, clerestory windows, and trellisesâfrom characteristics of the Alexander Valley.
The rest of the Building Team includes ZFA Structural Engineers, CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group, and Tuan and Robinson Engineering.
Wilhelm says this project encompasses a 37-unit apartment building under construction on the same parcel as the hotel. Some of those apartments will be workforce housing thatâs priced affordably based on the marketâs requirements. This buildingâs design will match the hotelâs, and it will open around the same time.
Despite local impediments such as finding subs and managing costs, Olson, says Wilhelm, currently has two other hotel deals in the works for Napa Valley, each in its âconceptualâ stage.Â
Related Stories
Hotel Facilities | Oct 13, 2021
Worldâs first net zero carbon hotel launches in West London
The hotel is located in Chiswick, West London.
Hotel Facilities | Oct 12, 2021
510-room Hyatt Place Hotel completes in Chelsea
The project broke ground in January 2019.
Hotel Facilities | Sep 27, 2021
New resort will be carved directly into a mountainside
The project is is located in western Saudi Arabia.
Hotel Facilities | Sep 22, 2021
Will hotel developers finally embrace modular construction?
Last May, MiTek, a construction software and building services company thatâs part of Warren Buffettâs Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, formed a partnership with Danny Forster & Architecture to promote modular design and construction.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 26, 2021
Building hotels with modules, with citizenM's Menno Hilberts
In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Menno Hilberts, Managing Director of Project Management with hotelier citizenM, explains how the company is employing modular construction to help double its presence in the U.S.Â
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 16, 2021
7 Cedars Hotel completes on Washingtonâs Olympic Peninsula
Rice Fergus Miller Architecture designed the project.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 11, 2021
Jasper Architects wins design competition for hotel in Kuwait
The project is inspired by Kuwaitâs desert landscape.
Market Data | Jul 28, 2021
Marriott has the largest construction pipeline of U.S. franchise companies in Q2â21
472 new hotels with 59,034 rooms opened across the United States during the first half of 2021.