StudioRes, a new Marriott hotel brand, opened in Southwest Florida, the brand’s very first location of more than 40 being planned.
The 124-room StudioRes was designed with the long-term client in mind. It’s located at the northwest quadrant of the Interstate 75 and Alico Road intersection in south Fort Myers, across from Home Depot at 9251 Hilsman Lane and off Three Oaks Parkway.
Room rates are about $100 a night, one of the lower price points for Marriott. There’s no swimming pool or on-site restaurant on hand. Instead, there’s an on-site workout room, laundry room and a kitchenette and big-screen TV in every room.
“Collaboratively, Marriott challenged us,” said Mark Laport, president and CEO of Raleigh, North Carolina-based Concord Hospitality, which owns the location and helped develop the concept. “How can we do what’s been done already but do it better — with a Marriott brand, which we think is extremely powerful.
“It’s all about price points. This is a value proposition that is squarely in the middle of the market.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony June 12 featured Marriott corporate executives and hotel investors.
Whitman Peterson, a private-equity company invested in the hotel, had Executive Director of Lodging Acquisitions Paul Novak on hand. Years ago, he played a pivotal role in the creation of another Marriott brand, Courtyard by Marriott.
Leeny Oberg, chief financial officer and executive vice president of development for Marriott International, attended as well.
“There’s maybe a Woodspring nearby, and I’m ready to compete,” Oberg said, looking at Novak as she said it, as he’s invested in that competing brand, as well. A Woodspring Suites is located off Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.
“This is a great sign of how powerful this brand can be,” Oberg said. “It’s going to be a great adventure as it gets going.”
Laport said sometimes large corporations, such as Marriott, can take years to develop new concepts. In this case, it took about 30 months from the first board room brainstorming sessions to the ribbon cutting.
Laport credited Oberg with the vision.
“Marriott moved very, very quickly,” Laport said. “She said, ‘Let’s make this happen guys.’”
Concord paid $1.7 million for the property in November 2023.
Concord owns more than 80 hotels and strives to open 40 more StudioRes hotels by the end of 2024. The next few will be in Mesa, Arizona; Centennial, Colorado; and Raleigh.
“We think many people will stay here, 20, 30 days,” Laport said. “Which is longer than the more upscale hotels.
“Our intent, our strategy is that it will be more than seven nights on average. That makes it more convenient and easier for us to operate.
“Construction workers, architects, engineers, opening teams, traveling nurses is a big part of what we do. As well as people who are waiting for their new home to be finished. Or waiting for their apartment. But … they’re waiting, so they have a need to be in a safe, clean, beautiful hotel and at a good price.”
