South Portland could become South Portlandia with millennial-minded hotel
Joe VanWhy, the Florida-based hotelier and former owner of the Eastland Hotel in downtown Portland, has submitted an application to South Portland officials to build a four-story hotel on Maine Mall Road under the Tru by Hilton brand of hotels aimed at attracting the highly coveted millennial market.
The hotel would be the first Tru by Hilton brand hotel for the state of Maine, following the lodging giant’s launch of the hotel line in January, according to The Forecaster. According to a report by Travel Weekly, Hilton currently has agreements to open 102 Tru hotels across the country, with groundbreaking already under way at a location in McDonough, Ga.
So how exactly are Tru hotels hoping to attract hordes of 20-somethings? In addition to low room rates between $90 and $100 a night, a mock-up of a Tru hotel included a large lobby area called “The Hive,” which was decked out with stadium-style seating, a large-screen TV, table games and a “command center” that features a wall with a social media feed, according to Travel Weekly.
The 250-square-foot rooms are also millennial-minded, featuring sparse décor, large-screen TVs and 8-foot-wide windows, according to Travel Weekly.
VanWhy, who also owns the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel on the Maine Mall Road in South Portland, submitted the proposal for the $8.5 million project to city officials with a goal of breaking ground this summer, with an opening slated for the hotel in August 2017, according to The Forecaster.
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