Essex, Stepstone and Sandpiper add to management portfolios

Hotels in New York, Minnesota and North Carolina are under new management.

Essex Hotel Management adds Courtyard by Marriott Rochester Downtown
Essex Hotel Management LLC has added Courtyard by Marriott Rochester Downtown, which first opened its doors in June, to its growing portfolio of hotels.

Essex will operate the hotel on behalf of local ownership. The management company has a long history on the site—it managed the East Avenue Inn & Suites, where the Courtyard by Marriott Rochester Downtown now stands, and was part of the development team with other local business owners to make the 126-key Courtyard a reality.

The hotel was constructed by Taylor the Builder, a second-generation contractor with more than 30 years of construction management, general contracting and design build experience.

Featuring the brand’s latest prototype design and muted color scheme, the hotel offers flexible seating in the lobby; a business center; a 24-hour fitness center; complimentary WiFi; and media pods, which can accommodate four to five people in a semi-private area. The property’s public areas and suites have floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the city. One side of the property faces the downtown area and another side faces gardens from the city’s old mansions. Historic photographs of old Rochester are sprinkled throughout the hotel.

Dining options include The Bistro, which offers breakfast choices in the morning, and a variety of dinner and cocktail options in the evening; and the Crate, a 24-hour market.

Located in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA), the city’s arts district, the hotel is near numerous downtown venues, Rochester Museum & Science Center, Strong Museum, Memorial Art Gallery and RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre, in addition to a range of cafés, restaurants, bars, social venues and breweries.

StepStone awarded management of Embassy Suites by Hilton Bloomington/Minneapolis
Rhode Island-based StepStone Hospitality, a hotel management company, has been awarded the management of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Bloomington/Minneapolis.

The 232-room all suite property features a modernized atrium and meeting spaces, as well as recently refreshed guest suites. The two-room suites offer separate bedroom and living spaces. The hotel is located near the Mall of America, Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and downtown Minneapolis. Amenities include complimentary breakfast, Iron Range Restaurant & Bar, indoor swimming pool and whirlpool and fitness center. The hotel’s nearly 13,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, including the column-free atrium, can accommodate events for up to 525 people.

Sandpiper Hospitality adds Suburban Extended Stay Hotel in NC
Sandpiper Hospitality, a Virginia-based hotel management company, is now managing the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel Camp Lejeune, NC hotel in Jacksonville, under the Choice Hotels chain.

The apartment-style Suburban Extended Stay Hotel is located near Camp Lejeune and the Salvation Army’s Camp Walter Johnson Retreat and Conference Center. Each of the 117 rooms features cozy beds, flat-screen TVs, desks and a fully equipped kitchen. Amenities include free WiFi, a business center, meeting space, guest laundry, a large fitness center and an outdoor pool.