The Hunt Valley Inn is celebrating its new status. Three weeks ago, on Jan. 28, the 392-room hotel and meeting center officially became a Wyndham Grand Hotel. The designation puts the Hunt Valley Inn, 245 Shawan Road, in the top tier of the Wyndham Hotel Group's brand.
"Travelers and conferences have higher expectations of the physical property and services," Erik Weinert, Hunt Valley's director of sales and marketing, said of the Wyndham Grand Hotel designation. "We anticipate a boost in traffic."
In 2013, Laurus Corp., a Los Angeles-based real estate investment and development company that specializes in hotels and resorts, office buildings and mixed-use properties, bought Hunt Valley Inn. . According to biznow.com, Laurus paid about $17 million for the property. Laurus did not respond to inquiries about the purchase.
However, Weinert said, the purchase, a franchise agreement, gave Laurus ownership of Hunt Valley Inn and the title of "a Wyndham Affiliate," with the intention to transitioning to the top tier title.
"The Laurus purchase was contingent on a renovation," he said.
That renovation, at a cost of $15 million, is almost complete. It began in June 2014 and will be done next month. The first phase was the overhaul of the guest rooms; the second, the lobby and meeting spaces; and the third, the bar and restaurant, which are in the process of being gutted and replaced with "new everything," Weinert said.
Although the renovation involved interior work only, the hotel's indoor/outdoor pool was also redone.
As part of its new status as a Wyndham Grand Hotel, Hunt Valley Inn will be required to achieve a Four Diamond Award rating from Triple A, instead of its current Three Diamond rating.
Hunt Valley Inn dates to 1969, when it was built and owned by a division of McCormick & Co., and intended for use mainly by its corporate clients. The hotel went through various ownerships until bought by Laurus.
The hospitality industry in metro Baltimore is split between the downtown/Inner Harbor city hotels and the county hotels clustered in Towson, Pikesville and Hunt Valley. The city hotels cater to tourism and conventions; the suburban hotels, to leisure travelers, small conferences and corporate clients/business travelers, according to Weinert, who until last May worked at the Marriott Waterfront hotel in the city.
Hunt Valley Inn competes with four other hotels in the Hunt Valley area. "We're all competing for the same business," Weinert said of the Hunt Valley hotels, although "we're the largest [in number of rooms] and host the largest conferences," with 30,000 square feet of conference space.
According to Weinert, the Hunt Valley Inn is only the 14th Wyndham Grand Hotel in the United States. Most of the others were built as such, so "they are looking to us to provide figures," he said.
Weinert is hoping its new status will increase business by 10 to 20 percent within the first year. He expects to increase room rates, from $129 to $149 per night, within a year. Banquet menu prices will also increase although that is still in the works.
Hunt Valley Inn's new designation brings status to the county's hotel industry in general, Weinert says.
In a statement issued about Hunt Valley Inn's designation, Bob Loewen, Wyndham Hotel Group's executive vice president and chief operating officer, emphasized that point.
"A property like Hunt Valley Inn that offers extensive meeting space and services to major travel hubs like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. is a welcome addition for our growing Wyndham brand. This property will provide hotel and event guests with revitalized spaces, services and amenities, while also strengthening the brand's presence in the markets," Loewen said.
Marjorie Hampson, director of Baltimore County Office of Tourism and Promotion, agreed. The county, she said in a statement, "is excited and pleased to have Wyndham Hotels, such a reputable and distinguished hotel brand, come to Hunt Valley."