SpringHill Suites by Marriott Opens in Latrobe

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Golfing legend Arnold Palmer and hospitality industry icon Bill Marriott have celebrated the opening of the SpringHill Suites Pittsburgh Latrobe hotel in Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, PA.

The 109-room, LEED-certified hotel is a joint venture between Palmer Hospitality, L.P., Concord Hospitality Enterprises and private investor Keith H. McGraw of Sewickley, PA.

The hotel will offer guests the opportunity to play at Palmer’s Latrobe Country Club located less than a mile away, a members-only golf club where Palmer learned to play.

“For years, I’ve wanted to build a hotel to complement the country club, and because this is my hometown, it was important to me that I partner with the right developer and the right operator and choose the right brand,” Palmer said.

SpringHill Suites Latrobe offers a 24-hour market, business services, same-day dry cleaning, guest laundry facilities, an indoor swimming pool and whirlpool spa, fitness center and two additional meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 40 people. It also includes the 19th Hole cocktail lounge, created exclusively with golfers in mind.

Palmer’s other local endeavors include The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Arnold Palmer Pavilion and the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, a community park dedicated to his late wife.

In other news, PMC Property Group has acquired the distressed James Reed Building at 435 Sixth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh during a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing in Los Angeles. The company’s $5.5 million bid was the highest of five solicited in advance of the court hearing.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the property’s California owners could not make a balloon payment on a PNC Bank mortgage and opted for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filling in order to avoid a sheriff sale. Michael Kamen and Gerson Fox purchased the nine-story building for $6.5 million in October 2008.

The Philadelphia developer now intends to convert the James Reed Building into residential space. The sale is expected to close by October 15, marking PMC’s seventh acquisition in downtown Pittsburgh.

Photo credits: www.springhillsuiteslatrobe.com