My most recent projects have been the major renovations of two historic high-rise buildings in San Francisco, CA and Houston, TX. Both projects are owned by RLJ Lodging Trust of Bethesda, MD with third party project management provided by Hospitality CPM of Fairfield, NJ. I am working for Hospitality CPM.
The Houston project is gutting a portion of the Humble Tower in downtown Houston and constructing a new 167-key Marriott Springhill Suites. The building is shared by two other hotels owned by RLJ which remain in operation during the renovation. The Humble Tower was originally constructed in 1921 and was the headquarters of Humble Oil Company. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The San Francisco property was originally constructed in 1929 as the Maurice Hotel. In later years it was operated as apartments, rooms for rent and finally as the Vantaggio Suites. Purchased by RLJ Lodging Trust, the basement and lobby levels have been largely gutted except for preservation of the historic lobby where the original detailed plaster work has been restored. The renovation has included complete modernization of the elevators, completely new mechanical, electrical and life-safety systems, massive seismic and structural upgrades and a complete rebuild of all the guestrooms. When completed in 2015 it will offer 166-keys and be branded as a Courtyard by Marriott.
