IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) has signed its first Vignette Collection hotel in the U.S., The Gwendolyn in McMinnville, OR. Scheduled to break ground in late 2023 and open in 2025, the hotel will be located along McMinnville’s historic Third Street retail and cultural district and in the state’s Willamette Valley wine region.
The hotel will feature 92 guestrooms, a destination restaurant and retail spaces, a rooftop pool with an accompanying restaurant and bar, a fitness center and a spa. IHG Hotels & Resorts will oversee the hotel’s evolution alongside owner Hugh Development, a Portland-based real estate development firm with more than four decades of CRE and asset management experience, and operator Practice Hospitality.
Matt Frankiewicz, SVP, development, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said, “Vignette Collection hotels attract travelers expecting a distinct, luxurious and highly-localized experience. [Hugh Development and Practice Hospitality’s] commitment to sustainable design and a positive community impact are true to Vignette Collection’s brand values and IHG’s True Hospitality for Good mission.”
Andrew Clarke, founder/principal, Hugh Development, said, “As a native Oregonian with family connections to McMinnville, I am honored to bring our team, IHG Hotels & Resorts and our development partners together to bring the first U.S. Vignette Collection hotel to our state. The Gwendolyn will complement the historic and charming identity of Third Street while also conveying the brand’s signature elegance and sense of curiosity. We look forward to contributing to McMinnville’s growth while establishing a destination where travelers and the community can gather and engage.”
Each Vignette Collection hotel features a name reflective of a unique element of its history, character or location, with The Gwendolyn serving as a tribute to Clarke’s aunt.
The Luxury & Lifestyle Collection brand’s U.S. debut follows the signing of its first Americas region hotel, the El Gran Encomendero in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, earlier this year, and previously announced properties across Asia, Europe and Australia following its August 2021 launch. IHG anticipates securing more than 100 new Vignette Collection properties in sought-after global urban and resort locations and heritage destinations within the next decade.
