After undertaking a $5 million renovation at downtown Spokane's historic Symons Block Building that took about three years to complete, Symons Block LLC has opened its new micro hotel, the Symons Block Hotel.

Alyssa Agee, co-owner of the Symons Block Building, says the opportunity to redevelop the four-story, 67,000-square-foot property, located at 7 S. Howard, aligned at the right time with her vision and resources.

"My heart is in this hotel," says Agee. "This was my baby and my vision, and I'm really excited to see not only that it actually came to fruition, but that people are staying here and we're getting good reviews."

The Symons Block Hotel has a total of nine guest rooms that average about 110 square feet in size on the building's third floor.

Modest room sizes and shared bathroom facilities dedicated to some guest rooms at the hotel help keep room rates low and attract guests who are interested in traveling for experiences, she says.

"We took a European approach," Agee says of the hotel's use of shared facilities. "It's part of what makes our rates a little bit lower than say ... a higher-end hotel."

The Symons Block Hotel has different rates depending on the season and room sizes, with smaller rooms rates between $65 and $90 a night. Mid-size rooms range from $120 to $150 a night, and the largest suites range from about $160 to about $200 a night.

The hotel also offers guests the option of a full-floor buyout for private use, she adds.

The Symons Block Hotel has hosted dozens of guests since opening bookings at the end of December, Agee says.

Jon Spilker, owner of Mead-based Spilker Contracting LLC and co-owner of the property, was the general contractor on the renovation, and Spokane-based Indigo Diggs LLC designed the upgrades.

Building improvements involved the installation of new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems and a new plumbing system designed to handle an increased volume of residential wastewater. Electrical systems were updated as well by Agee's father-in-law, who is the former owner of Agee Electric Inc.

"The challenges with retrofitting a historic building that was previously all office space gave me the opportunity to get creative," she says.

After the internal building updates were completed, Agee turned her attention to the customer-facing elements of the project.

Agee worked with Spokane-based Bang Design Studios LLC on the interior design of the hotel after seeing the studio's work at a few other Spokane-area establishments, such as Terrain's From Here store located inside River Park Square, and the Fellow Coworking center in the Washington Cracker Co. Building.

"All of it just impressed me," she says of Bang Design's work. "I don't think I ever could have dreamed this up on my own. I love it."

Guests of the Symons Block Hotel take an elevator from the building's revamped main floor entrance on Howard Street up to a stylish third-floor lobby and lounge area.

Common areas and guest rooms are outfitted with distinctive designs and murals featuring a mix of textures and materials that showcase both deep and vibrant colors and patterns from floor to ceiling.

"There's nowhere else in town that looks like this," Agee asserts. "I was inspired by my travels and the kinds of places I was staying at in large metropolitan areas both in the U.S. and outside."

In addition to the micro hotel on the third floor, Agee's vision includes the addition of 14 apartment units located on the third and fourth floors of the building.

Five apartment units share the third floor with the hotel and nine units are located on the building's fourth floor. Apartment units range in size from about 600 square feet for a studio unit, to about 1,000 square feet for a two-bedroom apartment.

The third-floor apartments are now available for lease, and the fourth-floor units will be available for lease later this month, says Agee.

"I realized we could rent the apartments at a fair rate ... because the hotel could make up the difference," she explains.

Due to the constrained space available and the layout of the historic building, Agee says amenities for guests and residents are limited compared to other lodging options. However, she notes that the second-floor businesses could be considered amenities for anyone in the building to access.

"You could take a dance class, go to meditation, or go to a sound bath while you're here. Then of course we have retail down on the main floor," she says.

Built in 1917, the building is named in honor of Spokane business investor Col. Thomas W. Symons, who helped bring broadcast radio to the region, according to information from Spokane County's Historic Preservation Office's website.

Businesses, nonprofits, and other establishments also operating at the Symons Block Building include: The Anam Cara Healing Center, Vytal Movement Dance, I Am Alliance, Solitude Barbershop, Garland Resale Boutique, Kindnss LLC, Basalt Counseling Services LLC, and KSBN Radio Inc.

Agee also operates a few companies at the property including Symons Block LLC, the entity used to purchase the Symons Block Building for $2.6 million in 2021.

Agee also co-owns two restaurants, People's Waffle and Emma Rue's, located at 15 and 17 S. Howard; and Belle Mira, a marketing consultant company, that serves as an umbrella entity for Agee's various entrepreneurial endeavors, she explains.

Guests, patrons, and residents of the Symons Block Building have access to parking on the street and covered parking at the Bank of America Parking Building west of the Symons Block property on Howard Street.

Security, an ongoing concern for Agee and other downtown businesses, is being addressed through enhanced lighting and the future installation of security gates at alcoves and entry points to the building, she explains.

Additionally, Agee says she's cultivating relationships with neighboring businesses and property managers, including with the management company of the Bank of America Building, which has invited Agee to collaborate on creating a welcoming environment downtown.

"They have a voice at the table when it comes to issues and suggestions, and they've been gracious to invite us into that space," Agee says.

Her goal is to reach 50% hotel occupancy within the first six months of operation, which she anticipates exceeding since the hotel has a limited number of rooms to fill.

Agee also is working to expand Agee Management LLC, a property management company Agee co-founded to manage the Symons Block Building and five other commercial and residential properties in her family's portfolio. 

"We realized in purchasing the building, I was doing all the property management myself at the time, and it was time for us to grow up a little bit," she says. 

After spending three years converting the Symons Block Building, Agee says she's uncertain about developing another hotel, however she says she'll take the valuable lessons learned through the redevelopment project and remain open to future opportunities in areas outside of the downtown core.

"Our goal is to find interesting spaces like this one and pair them with people who have brilliant ideas," says Agee.