by David Chapman
Staff Writer
A new hotel will soon be erected in Jacksonville’s Southside area and, for the moment, you won’t find one like it anywhere else in the area.
A groundbreaking ceremony for Hotel Indigo, a boutique hotel that will be located within Tapestry Park, was held Monday.
“It’s going to be a breath of fresh air,” said Hal Steinbrenner, president of Zieg Hospitality of Jacksonville. “It will have a little bit of everything and interior wise it will be very creative and different.”
Steinbrenner is the son of longtime New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and is president of Zieg Hospitality of Jacksonville.
Hal Steinbrenner was in attendance with shovel in hand for the event, but he wasn’t the only one enthusiastic about the hotel expected for completion next year.
“The entire area (Tapestry Park) will have a true mixed and urban feel,” said Rachel Shrader, vice president of Joyce Development Group, the primary developer of the retail, restaurant and commercial aspects of Tapestry Park.
She believes the hotel will have more than just upscale lodging benefits.
“It will encourage growth, not just commercially, but residentially as well with homes and condominiums,” she said. “It’s a benefit to be around everything in the area.”
Personalized service will be one of the key appeals to customers, according to Jim Anhut, senior vice president of brand development for InterContinental Hotels Group. Anhut gave an example of a customer having an offbeat conversation with an employee about being a baseball fan. Following the conversation, the customer could later find something in their room about the game, such as Jacksonville Suns tickets or a signed baseball. Little details and efforts like that, said Anhut, show the kind of attention to detail that will separate Hotel Indigo from other hotels.
Is there a market for such a niche-style of lodging in Jacksonville?
“Absolutely,” said Steimle. “Not only that, but in time, it will bring growth to the area.”
Steimle said he believes the majority of the the hotel patrons will be business-related with all the commerce around the area, but he doesn’t rule out seeing residential clientele grow as the area does.
The 96-room Jacksonville hotel will be the third Hotel Indigo in Florida, with one in Sarasota and another scheduled to open in Ft. Myers by the end of the year.