Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

RAM Hotels breaks ground on AC Hotel Auburn, Alabama

It runs 27 hotels in Georgia and Alabama with 13 brands including Marriott, Hilton, and IHG

RAM Hotels breaks ground on AC Hotel Auburn, Alabama

RAM HOTELS, LED by CEO Rinkesh Patel and COO Mitesh Patel, recently broke ground on the 129-key luxury AC Hotel by Marriott in Auburn, Alabama. The property is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2025, RAM Hotels said in a statement.

"This groundbreaking ceremony is a momentous occasion for us," said Rinkesh Patel. "We have planned and kept our eyes on having an AC here in Auburn for a long time, and we did just that. We visited this spot back in February 2020, right before everything shut down. We knew moving forward we couldn't let this project pass us, and here we are."


ENEWS 05 01 24 AC Hotel Ground breaking scaled

The hotel includes a ground-floor bar and lounge, along with a rooftop bar, according to the statement. It is near North Gay Street, next to the new Auburn Bank Center.

Columbus-based RAM Hotels, founded in 2002, has built 19 hotels from the ground up, investing over $450 million. The company currently owns and operates 27 hotels in Georgia and Alabama, featuring 13 brands including Marriott International, Hilton and IHG Hotels & Resorts. Additionally, it has 14 hotels in active development, with a total project cost exceeding $220 million.

Marriott operates more than 225 AC Hotels across 33 countries worldwide.

Liam Brown, Marriott International’s group president for the U.S. and Canada, attended AAHOACON24, a year after Marriott withdrew its support for AAHOA due to differences over the association’s 12 Points of Fair Franchising and franchise reform legislation in New Jersey.

More for you

AHLA members meet with U.S. lawmakers to discuss key hospitality legislation impacting hotel owners and workers

AHLA shares priorities with lawmakers

AHLA Members Unite on Capitol Hill to Advance Hospitality Legislation

MORE THAN 250 American Hotel & Lodging Association members met with lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House to discuss legislative priorities critical to the hospitality industry. They raised concerns about tax and trade policies impacting hotel operating costs and travel demand amid ongoing budget reconciliation and tax negotiations.

Members also discussed expanding and upskilling the hospitality workforce through measures such as adjusting the H-2B visa cap and protecting the franchise model, which supports more than half of all U.S. hotels and 2.8 million jobs, the association said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
CBRE: US Hotel RevPAR to Grow 1.3 Percent in 2025

CBRE: RevPAR to grow 1.3 percent in 2025

U.S. HOTEL REVPAR is expected to grow 1.3 percent in 2025, supported by urban markets from group and business travel and increased demand for drive-to and regional leisure destinations, according to CBRE. Occupancy is forecast to rise 14 basis points and ADR 1.2 percent year-over-year.

This represents slower growth than CBRE’s February forecast, which projected 2 percent RevPAR growth based on a 21-basis-point increase in occupancy and a 1.6 percent rise in ADR, the commercial real estate and investment firm said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Palette Hotels to Transform DoubleTree by Hilton in Washington, PA

Palette to manage Washington, PA, DoubleTree

Palette’s Expertise in Hospitality Management

SUNRISE GOLD HOSPITALITY recently selected Palette Hotels to manage its 140-room DoubleTree by Hilton Washington Meadow Lands Casino Area in Washington, Pennsylvania. Palette will oversee renovations, including Hilton Connected Rooms technology upgrades, new signage, landscaping, building systems and updates to the lobby, guestrooms, bathrooms, meeting spaces, restaurant, bar and lounge.

Sunrise Gold Hospitality is led by owner Ramesh Pandya, and Palette Hotels by Founder and CEO Richard Lou.

Keep ReadingShow less