Daily Journal of Commerce
Benchmark Resorts & Hotel sets October opening date for Avenue Bellevue hotel
Work began on the first two towers of Avenue Bellevue in the fall of 2019. The large project, immediately north of Bellevue Square, includes condos, retail, restaurants and a hotel. JTM Construction is the builder, and Weber Thompson the architect.
Benchmark Resorts & Hotels will operate the 208-room InterContinental hotel in the south tower, which now goes by 814 102nd Ave. N.E. And that operator announced late last month that the hotel will open in October. That will be the next significant milestone for local owner and developer Fortress Development, which is backed by Silverstein Capital Partners.
The hotel will mark InterContinental’s introduction to our market. Haje Thurau has been announced as its general manager. He said in a statement, “Come October, we look forward to welcoming travelers with the signature service that defines a stay with InterContinental.”
Benchmark says that most rooms will range from 306 to 380 square feet. The two-bedroom presidential suite has 1,500 square feet. Rates haven’t been disclosed.
Within the two towers’ podium will be over 12,000 square feet of meeting space, says Benchmark, including a 4,250-square-foot grand ballroom.
InterContinental is part of the hospitality portfolio owned by IHG Hotels & Resorts. Benchmark is part of Pyramid Global Hospitality. Fortress is run by Andy Lakha, who said in a statement, “Bellevue has evolved into a dynamic center for innovation and deserves a hotel and residential development that mirrors its bright future.”
The hotel will occupy floors three through 11 in the 26-story south tower, closest to Bellevue Square. Above will be the larger and more expensive “estate homes” (numbering 141 when construction began).
The 25-story west tower will have 224 units, which Fortress dubs “residences,” to be smaller and more affordable. Prices were announced when construction began with a floor at $899,000. Prices at the high end haven’t been disclosed. Pre-sales were said to be strong when construction began, pre-pandemic. Rennie Marketing Systems now has two separate sales centers nearby, both open by appointment.
No opening date has been announced for the condos, shops and restaurants. The project topped out in December, and JTM now says the cranes are gone. The builder rates the project at over 1.2 million square feet, with 826 underground parking stalls.