Art Casey was on the job for less than a day when he made his first changes.
Casey is a food and beverage consultant with the new Lexington Hotel & Conference Center Jacksonville Riverwalk’s management company.
One of his first steps this week when he arrived at the property, the former Wyndham Jacksonville Riverwalk hotel, was to check the flags out front.
They were worn and tattered. An anchor, pedestal and stack, a tribute to the area’s maritime history, also were painted the wrong color.
“If you go out there today you’ll find a new American flag, Florida flag and Navy flag,” Bernie Moyle, COO and CFO of Vantage Hospitality Group Inc. said Wednesday afternoon.
Casey, a recently retired Navy master chief, bought them himself. He also offered to paint the anchor, pedestal and stack the correct colors.
Late Wednesday, he found another set of flagpoles and another painting job. That’s on his list for today.
Those moves are among many that Moyle and his team intend to take to restore the 34-year-old property to its historically nautical theme in recognition of the St. Johns River and U.S. Navy.
“We plan to pay homage with art, décor, and monuments throughout the property,” Moyle said.
Coral Springs-based Vantage Hospitality Group paid $9 million Monday for the Wyndham, along the Downtown Southbank at 1515 Prudential Drive. The sale was recorded Wednesday with the Duval County Clerk of Court.
Lexington is a brand of Vantage Hospitality, which formed LexDevCoJax Inc. to buy the 323-room Wyndham. Pacific Coach Inc. of Arizona issued a $7.5 million mortgage.
The 5.8-acre hotel property carries a market value of $7.05 million, according to the Duval County Property Appraiser.
The five-story hotel was built in 1981 as a Sheraton. It also has operated as a Radisson.
Lexington intends to launch an extensive, 18-month renovation, while remaining open during the work.
The lobby will be reconfigured and a covered outdoor extension with a fireplace and water features will be added. Guestrooms and restrooms will be remodeled and meeting areas will be redecorated.
The roof and windows will be replaced, while the entry drive and porte-cochere will be improved. New landscaping and an updated pool area also are planned.
Moyle said renovations will take place “going one wing at a time, from the roof on down.” He declined to estimate the investment.
“I told the employees that without disrespecting the Navy, I hope they allow us to refer to the hotel as the USS Lexington. We have to give that property back its personality,” he said.
Moyle said he met with the hotel’s approximate 115 employees. He said all are on a 90-day probation while Vantage assesses its needs, including adding some staff, such as housekeepers.
Victor Morgenroth was hired as the new general manager to replace Ron Congdon, who Moyle said is under contract with the former management company out of Boca Raton.
“I’m very impressed with the fortitude of the employees,” Moyle said, referring to the recession and ownership changes. “I am really, really impressed with them.”
The property was sold by GECMC 2007-C1 Prudential Drive LLC in care of Torchlight Loan Services LLC of Miami.
The property had been foreclosed and was bank-owned.
The sale was brokered by Brown Nester Hospitality Services, representing the buyer, and the hotel will be managed by Cal-Vegas Ltd., both affiliates of Vantage.
Brown Nester also will manage the renovations.
The lexingtonhotels.com website shows 28 Lexington-brand hotels around the country, including in Daytona Beach, and three internationally.
Vantage Hospitality, created in 1999, is a privately held company that says it is among the world’s top 10 franchises based on its more than 1,200 properties.
The company’s legacy brands include Americas Best Value Inn and the Lexington by Vantage collection of inns, hotels and suites that offer three- and four-star hotel owners the option to customize their property and amenities based on market niches.
Lexingtonhotels.com describes the Jacksonville property as a 323-room hotel with 23 meeting rooms totaling 35,000 square feet of meeting space. That includes a 10,000-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate up to 800 people for a banquet. It also has a rooftop ballroom with a veranda.
The Lexington features the casual St. Johns Café and the Currents Lounge.
Moyle said the process of purchasing the hotel started about seven months ago. Vantage considered it a good investment because Jacksonville is in the top 50 markets in the country for hotels and the city is putting effort into revitalizing the riverfront.
Another 10.38 acres surrounding the hotel are separately owned and remain for sale. Moyle said Vantage was not especially considering that property because it was more than the hotel would need.
Moyle said Vantage was able to make adequate parking accommodations because of “good relations” with the other property owner and the city has been cooperative for Vantage to use the nearby King Street parking garage.
Moyle said the sales staff has begun contacting companies, churches and hotels to make connections.
Moyle expects to return to Jacksonville next week to meet with tourism and convention officials, among others. He said he is very involved in similar groups in Broward County and “likewise, we want to be very involved in the restaurant and hospitality business” in Jacksonville.
He said his investment redevelopment team would be meeting with Downtown Investment Authority representatives.
“We are looking forward to being a part of your community,” he said.
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