Heritage Hotels Announces Plans for 2.6-Acre Boutique Hotel in Old Town Albuquerque

By Anca Gagiuc, Associate Editor

The heart of Old Town Albuquerque will accommodate a new boutique hotel scheduled to open in early 2016. It is the member of the largest independent hotel chain in New Mexico, Heritage Hotels and Resorts, who recently purchased the renowned Eldorado Hotel & Spa. The plans for the multimillion project have been finalized, and the development will break ground by late fall.

The contemporary boutique hotel will be built adjacent to Hotel Albuquerque, also under the Heritage Hotels and Resorts umbrella, and will share Hotel Albuquerque’s pool, ballrooms, and chapel. It will be built on 2.6 acres, structured on five stories, encompassing 118 guestrooms including 10 luxurious suites designed to extend outdoors onto terraces facing the Sandia Mountains and downtown skyline, the gardens and the pool terrace. Jim Long plans the hotel to meet the standards of a Four Diamond Hotel by AAA. Moreover, it will create approximately 100 jobs, ranging from management to service positions.

“We’re creating a hotel where guests will experience the true culture of New Mexico in a way that has never been done before,” explains Jim Long, CEO of Heritage Hotels & Resorts. “We are blending ancient building techniques from New Mexico Native Americans with modern amenities and designs from the best designers in the world to create a new hotel that will redefine and advance the architectural building style in our state. The services, sacred architecture and accommodations this hotel will provide will embrace the native people’s spirituality, artistic sensibility and oneness with nature. ”

The design of the hotel is in the hands of Gensler who is inspired by the Anasazi people and the indigenous ruins of Chaco Canyon, incorporating in the project ancient masonry techniques. “Heritage Hotels & Resorts presented a captivating conceptual vision as a catalyst for the design team. The result is a one-of-a-kind property that embraces the spirituality, sensibility and legacy of the indigenous ruins of Chaco Canyon, while simultaneously striving for a contemporary sophistication,” said Adam Gumowski, design director at Gensler.

In addition to Gensler, the design and project management team includes Lajeskie of Santa Fe and Dekker/Perich/Sabatini of Albuquerque.

Photos courtesy of Gensler.