NEW YORK—Carey Watermark Investors 2 (CWI 2), a non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on investing in lodging and lodging-related properties, announced that it has acquired the Seattle Marriott Bellevue. The newly developed hotel includes 384 guestrooms and is located in Bellevue, Wash., which has evolved from a Seattle suburb into a vibrant, independent city as a result of the tech boom.
The 17-story, state-of-the-art hotel opened in July 2015, representing the newest addition to the Bellevue lodging market. The hotel has been developed with a highly efficient layout to maximize operational efficiencies in accordance with Marriott’s latest brand standards, including the brand’s newly redesigned guestroom concept, M Club Lounge and Greatroom lobby concepts, as well as technologically advanced meeting and event spaces.
The greater Seattle lodging market has seen exponential growth in recent years as a result of its close ties to the high-tech sector, with many major technology employers (including Microsoft, Expedia and Amazon) headquartered in the region. As a result of increased corporate office occupancy fueled by the growing high-tech sector, the greater Seattle market, and specifically the Bellevue lodging market, have experienced strong growth trajectories over the last several years. Bellevue, which is situated approximately 10 miles east of Seattle, comprises 4,284 hotel rooms in 22 lodging properties. From 2009 to 2014, the Bellevue submarket experienced a RevPAR compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3 percent, outpacing the overall U.S. CAGR of 6.8 percent for the same period. Year-to-date through November 2015, Bellevue experience continued strong RevPAR growth of 8.1 percent year over year.
Outside of the Seattle central business district, downtown Bellevue has the highest density of residential and office uses of any sub-market in the greater Seattle area and is home to companies such as T-Mobile, Verizon, Eddie Bauer, Puget Sound Energy, and PACCAR. Microsoft currently occupies more than 1.1 million square feet of office space within a two-block radius of the hotel and the high-end retailers of The Shops at the Bravern are only two blocks away. The planned East Link light rail expansion project (which will connect Redmond, Bellevue, Downtown Seattle, and Sea-Tac Airport when completed in 2023) will benefit the overall Bellevue market and Seattle Marriott Bellevue in particular, as the hotel is situated within five blocks of two planned light rail stations.
The Seattle Marriott Bellevue represents the only full-service Marriott product in the Bellevue market. As a member of the Marriott International family, the hotel benefits from Marriott’s strong reservation system and loyalty program, as well as its superior brand recognition and demand among both domestic and international travelers. The hotel will remain under the management of HEI Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality owner and operator that operates 53 full-service, upper-upscale, luxury, and premium select-service hotels and resorts throughout the United States, including eight that are owned by Carey Watermark Investors and CWI 2.
The property features 384 guest rooms and 21,000 square feet of meeting and event space. It also offers guests a fitness center and business center.
