Proposed luxury hotel slated for downtown Tallahassee

 

proposed luxury hotel slated for downtown Tallahassee

A first look at Hotel Valencia Capital City shows a proposed plan that's unlike anything in Tallahassee.

Early permit documents show the first of two proposed hotels: A 225-room boutique hotel featuring conference and ballroom space and associated parking, a major draw for large gatherings, weddings and business events.

The hotel's look — a stucco color and finish, an expansive loggia, an outdoor dining area anchored around existing trees, a pool and a rooftop bar — could be pulled from the pages of a travel magazine.

"Hotel Valencia Capital City finds its roots in the combination of two traditions; the rich cultural and architectural heritage of the City of Tallahassee and the timeless and sophisticated hospitality of Valencia Hotel Group. A prime location and a carefully crafted guest experience offer a series of hotel amenities that are unique and specific to the Capital City visitor," according to supporting documents.

Benjamin Wilkinson, Jr., a commercial real estate broker and partner at TLG Real Estate in Tallahassee, said he'd never worked with a company that did as much on-site ground work in researching an area in an effort to infuse their findings into the design.

"They are not the cookie-cutter," he said. "They cater their design around the community they coming into. If you look at some of the ones they have out west or in Texas, it's whatever the character or theme of that community is that will be adopted to every extent possible. They spent a lot of time researching Tallahassee and its history, and the things that make the city what it is."

The Valencia Hotel Group plans to bring a four-star and a five-star hotel, Wilkinson said, adding "everything is fluid until they obtain their final permits."

Although the company couldn't be reached for comment for this article, early permit materials show the company plans to redevelop a 2.68-acre block formerly owned by the city of Tallahassee that's commonly referred to as the Johns site.

Hotel Valencia is one of six hotel projects representing a total of 787 rooms at varying stages of the permit process, according to the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality. If built, Hotel Valencia Capital City will be the largest of all the projects currently under review or construction.

With the exception of Hotel Indigo, Butler said most of the hotels in close proximity to the proposed project site cater to government clientele. He said Hotel Valencia will have some of that, too, but he'd expect to more expensive room rates by comparison to the other hotels in Tallahassee.

"I think it can be sort of a landmark product for Tallahassee, if they construct it as articulated," Butler said. "I think it'll prove to be complimentary to the other hospitality offerings that are in the general district."