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Historic Albuquerque Hotel Announces New Name New Look
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - When the historic La Posada de Albuquerque Hotel reopens late this year, it will feature a completely renovated interior, as well as a new name - Andaluz, as announced this morning by Historic Hotels, LLC.
The name Andaluz is derived from Andalucía, the Spanish region which inspired the design motif for the property when it was originally designed for Conrad Hilton by Anton F. Korn in the 1930's. The Andaluz logo is an adaptation of a classic Andalucían tile, and represents four interlocking A's.
"We selected Andaluz as the new name of this legendary property because it honors Albuquerque's rich Spanish heritage and reflectsthe hotel's architectural and interior design," said Yancy Sturgeon, general manager of Andaluz. "The entire property will have a Mediterranean style and vibe, and we believe that the name Andaluz embodies this essence."
The new hotel's décor will incorporate Moroccan and Spanish colonial influence and will feature a mezzanine-level cultural center honoring New Mexico's museums, cultural institutions, performing arts groups, and other culturally significantorganizations. The hotel will have a restaurant with Mediterranean cuisine, a rooftop lounge on-site, and a lobby bar featuring live weekly entertainment.
The hotel opened in 1939 as the Hilton Hotel and was the first hotel in the state constructed by New Mexico native Conrad Hilton. In 2005, it was purchased by Gary Goodman, principal of Historic Hotels, LLC. A total of $30 million will be invested in the renovation of the hotel, which will be operated by Gemstone Hotels & Resorts of Park City, UT. Goodman and Gemstone intend to make Andaluz one of the premier boutique hotels in the southwest when it re-opens late this year.
Added Sturgeon, "the renovation centers around preserving the best of the property's history while infusing it with modern technology and amenities with an emphasis on environmental consciousness. Much as the building is a marriage of modern and historic, the name and logo are as well." The historic La Posada de Albuquerque Hotel will reopen late 2008 as Andaluz, following a $30 million major renovation. The new hotel's décor will incorporate Moroccan and Spanish colonial influence and will feature a mezzanine-level cultural center, honoring New Mexico's museums, cultural institutions, performing arts groups, and other culturally significantorganizations. The renovation will preserve the history of the building, while modernizing the technology and introducing environmental sustainability. Andaluz, located a block from the Albuquerque Convention Center, is sure to become the anchor property of a vibrant and revitalized downtown Albuquerque. For more information, please visit www.hotelandaluz.com.
About Gemstone Hotels & Resorts Headquartered in Park City, Utah, Gemstone is a full-service operating and asset management company that specializes in luxury and upscale hotels and complex resorts that include a variety of components such as hotels, restaurants, retail, resort amenities such as beach, golf or skiing, time-share and other hospitality-related activities. The company is engaged in resort and unique hotel marketing and management, asset management and consulting for such well-regarded hotel real estate investors as the Arden Group, Olympus Real Estate Partners, CitiGroup and others. Gemstone currently manages or asset manages 19 projects in Arizona, California, Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
Historic Hotels, LLC is a holding company affiliated with Albuquerque-based Goodman Realty Group - a full service, national real estate firmwith more than thirty years of experience in construction, management and leasing of shopping centers, industrial property, officebuildings and residential real estate. In New Mexico, Goodman Realty Group has developed or purchased fiveshopping centers, an office/warehouse project and is developing a sixty acre mixed use village.
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