Richard Carmouche is continuing his expansion of The Grove with plans for what he describes as “an upscale boutique hotel” at the 118-acre mixed-use development.
Carmouche confirms a local hotel developer and operator has signed a purchase agreement on a two-acre tract near the circular entrance of the development. The developer is currently negotiating with a national hotel chain for a flag, or brand. Once those negotiations are complete, Carmouche expects to close on the sale.
Though the new hotel will join a growing list of lodging establishments along nearby Siegen Lane, it will be the first at The Grove, where Carmouche believes there will be a growing demand for a hotel.
Earlier this year, Ochsner acquired a 25-acre tract in The Grove and announced plans to develop a $100 million clinic and “microhospital.” The Grove is also home to The Blake at The Grove, an elder care community with independent living, assisted living and memory care facilities, as well as a multifamily complex and a growing list of retail and entertainment tenants.
“If you’re visiting someone in the hospital, or visiting your parents in The Blake, wouldn’t you want to stay near the mall, where you could walk to the movie theater at night, walk to go shopping, entertain your kids at Area 51?” he says. “I think people would go there before just staying somewhere off the highway.”
Carmouche says the hotel developer intends to build a unique, upscale hotel, though not a five-star establishment, with food and beverage service and, perhaps even, a rooftop bar.
He says securing the franchise agreement with the national chain has proven more challenging than originally anticipated because so many flags are taken by other nearby hotels along Siegen Lane and College Drive.
“We’re in a tough location in that respect,” he says. “But these guys really want to do the deal and make it work.”
—Stephanie Riegel
