A new-to-Cincinnati upscale hotel brand is planned to open in the former Anna Louise Inn in downtown Cincinnati.
Mario San Marco, president of Eagle Realty Group, said the former Anna Louise Inn building will be transformed into an Autograph Collection hotel. He declined to discuss additional details about the project at this point, as Eagle Realty, the real estate arm of Western & Southern Financial Group, is working on the redevelopment of the building.
As the Business Courier has previously reported, Western & Southern CEO John Barrett has said the plan was to bring a high-end Marriott hotel to the site.
Officials with Marriott were not immediately available for comment.
Autograph Collection Hotels are Marriott International’s exclusive portfolio of independent hotels. Autograph Collection hotels are “upper upscale and luxury independent hotels,” that also offer all the benefits of the Marriott Rewards loyalty program. Each hotel is unique, ranging from boutique hunting lodges to a 19th century neoclassical palace in Prague.
As part of the Autograph Collection, independent hotels are able to use Marriott’s distribution and marketing tools to deliver bookings and revenue, as well as other programs and services that help reduce costs.
In October, San Marco said Western & Southern hoped to close on the acquisition of the former Anna Louise Inn property prior to mid-2015. The sale has not closed as of April 14. Work on the project would start around the same time as the closing.
The Autograph Collection was introduced in 2010. There are 56 current Autograph Collection hotels operating nearly 11,500 rooms across the globe. Autograph Collection hotels include St. Ermin’s Hotel in London, Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando and Algonquin Hotel Times Square in New York City.
Another 31 hotels, which would add more than 6,200 rooms, are in the development pipeline.
Previously, Barrett said the hotel at the former Anna Louise Inn, located at 300 Lytle St., would have 106 rooms. Western & Southern also plans to restore the adjacent building, 311 Pike St., which is expected to house a new restaurant.