Ahead of what's expected to be a banner season for the Spokane-area hospitality industry in 2025, Spokane-based Vandervert Hospitality Inc. has completed two west Spokane hotel renovation projects, the Hampton by Hilton Spokane Airport and Hilton Garden Inn Spokane Airport.

The company also has unveiled future improvement projects for two additional properties in the company's portfolio.

Ralph Morgan, director of operations at Vandervert Hospitality, says, "With several events coming into town, I think everybody's going to be pretty busy and have a great season next year."

Spokane's hospitality sector has been steadily improving from pandemic-related disruptions and is anticipated to recover by 2025, according to a report by Loveland, Colorado-based hospitality consulting company HVS Global Hospitality Services. Morgan concurs, and says Vandervert Hospitality's busy season is expected to kickoff in March with the Washington state high school basketball championship at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, followed by a summer full of out-of-town visitors, he says.

Hampton by Hilton Spokane Airport is located at 2010 S. Assembly Road, about a half-mile south of Indian Canyon Golf Course, in Spokane's Sunset Hill neighborhood. The Hilton Garden Inn Spokane Airport is located at 9015 W. U.S. 2, just under a mile north of Spokane International Airport and about 3.5 miles west of the Hampton by Hilton property. 

The renovations at both properties were driven by cyclical franchise agreement renewals designed to keep the buildings aligned to Hilton's brand standards, Morgan says.

Improvements at Hampton by Hilton are valued at about $4 million, while the renovations at the Hilton Garden Inn property are valued at about $5.3 million, he says.

A combined 250 guest rooms were updated at both hotel properties with new furniture, including refrigerators and microwaves, carpet flooring, vinyl wall covering, and local artwork. Common areas at both hotels also were remodeled.

The lobby at Hampton by Hilton has been redesigned including the front desk, gift shop, and complimentary breakfast station, Morgan says. Other common areas at the property also have been improved, including new tables and chairs in the conference room and board room, an enlarged and expanded fitness center with new exercise equipment, and new furniture for the indoor pool.

"We tore the whole front desk off and rebuilt it to match the contemporary feel of the property," he adds.  

The Hilton Garden Inn property received similar updates in the lobby, fitness center, and conference rooms, in addition to a redesigned and enlarged bar and new furnishings in the full-service restaurant, dubbed 2West Bar & Grill, which is located inside the hotel.

Two types of new electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at each property, one for Tesla vehicles and a second charging station to accommodate other makes.

Renovations of the common areas at both properties began in spring 2023 and paused that summer during the busy season, says Morgan, adding that guest room updates started in fall 2023 at each hotel and were mostly wrapped up this summer. 

Both properties have shed the traditional lodging aesthetic and now have a modern design in the public areas and guest rooms, he says.

Spokane-based Yost Gallagher Construction LLC was the general contractor for both the Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn hotels. Spokane-based Interior Design Studio Inc., which does business as ID Studio, provided design services for both projects. 

Vandervert Hospitality has four other hotel properties in its portfolio, two of which also have been updated recently.

Common areas at the Hampton Inn Richland, in the Tri-Cities, Washington, area were completed this year, and in late 2023, guest room renovations were completed at Vandervert's Hampton Inn Kalispell, in Kalispell, Montana.

Going forward, Vandervert Hospitality is preparing to update its third Spokane-area hotel, the Quality Inn Oakwood, located at 7919 N. Division, Morgan says, adding that a timeline to begin renovations hasn't been established yet. 

Preliminary design plans also are underway to update Vandervert's Homewood Suites Richland property, in the Tri-Cities area. Both the Quality Inn Oakwood and the Homewood Suites Richland tenant improvement projects are likely to occur in the next couple of years, he says. 

Project updates:

*Fourth Avenue Capital LLC, a Spokane-based development company, has started construction on a 240-unit luxury apartment building, dubbed Signal Point Apartment Homes, at the Meadowwood Technology Campus, at 24085 E. Mission, in Liberty Lake.

In addition to the luxury apartments at Signal Point, the property also will have a resident clubhouse with entertainment areas, social spaces, and private workstations, along with a fitness center and leasing office, according to a press release from Fourth Avenue Capital. 

Other amenities include an outdoor living room and dining area, a fireplace, community barbecue grills, a lounge, a pool and spa, and a dog park.

Signal Point will have a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units, as previously reported in the Journal. Units will range between 730 square feet and 1,300 square feet in size.

*The Spokane Conservation District is preparing to construct a new permanent year-round farmers market and commercial kitchen on a portion of its 50-acre Spokane Valley campus, with a $3.1 million building permit application for the foundation work for the Scale House Market & Kitchen project.

Medical Lake-based Halme Cascade General Contracting Co. is the contractor for the foundation, according to permit information on file with the city of Spokane Valley. OlsonProjects PLLC, of Spokane, designed the building's foundation work, permit information shows.

The Scale House Market & Kitchen will occupy an existing 4,300-square-foot building at 4422 E. Eighth. Updates to the structure will create flexible space for about 25 vendors, a commercial kitchen, and cold storage. Additionally, an open-air market with room for 30 more vendors, space for food trucks, a stage area, and other activity space are planned outside of the building.