Hyatt plans to open its second Maine hotel, at Portland International Jetport

Courtesy / Hyatt A rendering shows a Hyatt Studios hotel, similar to one that may be built at the Portland International Jetport in 2025.

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By William Hall

The Hyatt hotel conglomerate plans to expand its footprint in Maine, opening what would be the company's second property in the state — and the second in a new line of lodging — near Portland International Jetport sometime during 2025.

The Hyatt Studios hotel would offer 122 extended-stay rooms at PWM, according to a press release. The development of the hotel results from a newly inked franchise agreement between Hyatt and Giri Hotel Management, a Quincy, Mass.-based group that owns and operates roughly 50 hotels in New England.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although a Hyatt spokeswoman said the company anticipates hiring about 15 workers at the planned Maine location.

However, neither Hyatt nor Giri would provide other details such as the exact location of the new property, despite repeated inquiries from Mainebiz. It's not even clear whether the hotel would be constructed from the ground up or would represent the renovation and reflagging of an existing property.

Since 2018, Giri has owned and operated a Hilton Garden Inn on leased land about a half-mile from the Jetport, at 145 Jetport Blvd. That hotel, assessed at $13 million, has 124 rooms — roughly the same size as the planned Hyatt Studios.

In April, Giri acquired the 249-room Anchorage by the Sea in Ogunquit, the third-largest hotel in Maine and the firm's 24th property in the state. Terms were not disclosed.

In the press release, Hyatt hailed the planned Jetport hotel as the second in a new brand of extended-stay properties. The first, a Hyatt Studios hotel in Mobile, Ala., broke ground last week and is expected to open in early 2025.

“We are proud to achieve this construction milestone in bringing the Hyatt Studios brand to life,” said Dan Hansen, global head of Hyatt Studios. "The Hyatt Studios brand is positioned to transform the upper-midscale, extended-stay experience for our guests and World of Hyatt members by delivering exceptional value, best-in-class amenities and the highest level of care."

The addition of a Hyatt Studios in Portland will further grow the brand, the company said.

"Portland has seen a continuous surge in leisure and business travel in recent years with several airlines adding new non-stop routes from PWM and a variety of industries expanding their presence in the area," a written statement provided to Mainebiz said.

"This Hyatt Studios property will cater to the needs of Portland’s evolving guest demographic, offering the high quality and contemporary style that is characteristic of the Hyatt brand, and rooms that emulate studio apartments offering dedicated space to work, relax or dine."

For now, Hyatt Hotels Corp. (NYSE: H) has only a single hotel in Maine, the Hyatt Place that opened in Portland nearly a decade ago. The Chicago-based company operates more than 1,300 hotels, representing over two dozen brands in 76 countries. Revenues for 2022 were $5.9 billion.

The area around the Jetport and the Maine Mall in South Portland has seen an influx of new hotels during the past several years. In October, for example, a TownePlace Suites by Marriott opened with 101 rooms at 70 Maine Mall Road.

Other nearby properties have rebranded, such as the former Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks. That 226-room hotel, built in 1988, completed a $12 million renovation in 2019 and then opened as the Portland Sheraton at Sable Oaks.