In an initiative to sharpen the focus of its third-party hotel development and renovation efforts, McKibbon has formed a new company, McKibbon Places. The company will continue developing and renovating hotels for the McKibbon owners and investors, but has consolidated its development and renovation services under the new McKibbon Places brand to strategically market their third-party services to new owners and developers.
The McKibbon name has a strong foundation and sterling reputation in the hospitality industry. Founded by two brothers in 1926, it is widely known as an industry leader in managing, renovating, owning and developing hotels in partnership with the largest hotel franchisors in the world.
The leadership team felt the time was right to form McKibbon Places to better marshal resources and become more aggressive in the development field.
McKibbon Places is headquartered in the Atlanta area. Its sister company, McKibbon Hospitality, is based in Tampa, Fla., and focuses on third-party hotel management.
“After years of developing our own hotels, we realized the opportunity to create a new kind of development company, one also focused on helping other hotel owners realize their unique vision,” said chairman John McKibbon.
The new company is led by President Erik Rowen. The registered architect joined McKibbon in 2003 as a project manager, and also served as vice president of development for many years. Rowen has managed over 35 new build projects for a variety of premier hotel brands.
“I’m beyond excited to launch McKibbon Places to help other owners and developers bring their visions to life through new construction and renovations,” said Erik Rowen. “Our seasoned team is proud to play a vital role in new hotel development and renovation projects with decades of experience and dozens of projects under their belts while we continue to grow our reputation with our own development and renovation projects.”
This client-centric philosophy shapes every McKibbon Places strategy, from designing guest experiences, to empowering operational excellence, to recognizing the true value of every investment.
McKibbon Places has a full development arsenal in house, drawing talent from all corners of the industry including construction, architecture, renovation management, and procurement of furniture, fixtures and equipment.
“It’s critical to our team’s success to have experienced professionals from different areas within our industry,” said Rowen. “This gives us a well-rounded perspective from all angles to better deliver the most value to our development projects.”
McKibbon Places already has several projects in progress or in the development pipeline. The Kimpton Hotel Arras in Asheville, N.C., a McKibbon-owned asset, is its first Kimpton flag and first independent boutique hotel. The mixed-used project includes 128 hotel rooms, 54 condos, two restaurants, retail space and a parking deck.
McKibbon Places will break ground on two new McKibbon-owned developments in Florida later this year — the Hyatt House Tampa Airport Westshore, a six-floor, 145-room extended-stay hotel, and Hyatt House Orlando Airport, also a six-floor, extended-stay hotel with 156 rooms.
Additionally, McKibbon Places is providing third-party development services on multiple new build projects, including the dual-brand, waterfront Courtyard and Residence Inn Jekyll Island on the Georgia coast. The developer, LNW Hospitality of Wilmington, Delaware, recently broke ground on the four-story, 209-room hotel on six oceanfront acres.
On the renovation front, the new company is in the midst of several owned and third-party projects, including the Hampton Inn & Suites Orlando Airport, a Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn & Suites in Bonita Springs, Florida, and Four Points by Sheraton in Huntsville, Alabama.
With the energy of a startup, McKibbon Places is actively seeking new opportunities and third-party relationships.
For more information, visit McKibbonPlaces.com.
About McKibbon Places
Founded by two brothers in 1926, the McKibbon family business has grown to become an industry leader in hospitality, known for owning, developing, renovating, and managing hotels in partnership with the largest franchisors in the world. As the McKibbon company dedicated to new hotel development and renovations management, we partner with owners, investors, and trusted vendors to build experiences, empower operations, and recognize the true value of every place we create. To date, we’ve completed dozens of new build projects across numerous premier hotel brands in over 20 cities – and we’re just getting started. From the first planning meeting to the final ribbon cutting, we’re ready to bring your vision to life. For more information, visit McKibbonPlaces.com.