sa国际传媒官网网页入口

After four decades in the hospitality business, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 developer Samir Patel has learned it鈥檚 all about the people.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a people business. You (can) have the technology, the facilities and a building, but that doesn鈥檛 matter if you don鈥檛 have a good team,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淭he people that work there make all the difference.鈥�

A team of about 25 people will make the difference at Patel鈥檚 newest project 鈥� an Aloft Hotel under construction near the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 International Sunport. It will be New Mexico鈥檚 first Aloft Hotel, which Patel described as a 鈥渢ech-forward鈥� brand of Marriott.

The project broke ground at 1515 Aircraft SE, a vacant plot neighboring an airport parking lot off Sunport and University SE, in December. Prime Hospitality Consulting is building the hotel, which Patel expects to open summer 2027.

The 58,000-square-foot hotel will stand four stories tall and include 109 rooms, featuring either a king bed or a pair of queen beds with nightly rates between $149 and $199, Patel said.

Some of the hotel鈥檚 planned amenities include an Aloft full bar concept called WXYZ Bar, a pool table, an outdoor swimming pool and patio, and a free, around-the-clock airport shuttle service.

The hotel鈥檚 lobby will feature interactive lighting and a blend of modern, festive and industrial design work, Patel said. Soundproofing infrastructure will also be incorporated into the hotel鈥檚 design to limit sound coming from nearby jets at the Sunport.

All in all, the hotel will cost between $22 million and $24 million to develop, Patel said.

The hotel will primarily cater to airport travelers 鈥� a key market for the Aloft brand, Patel said. The brand is a draw particularly for travelers within the business and government sectors because of its quick Wi-Fi speeds and a mobile key check-in program that allows guests to bypass the front desk, he added.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all very seamless,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淓verything is driven to satisfy, especially the business and government travelers 鈥� they鈥檒l appreciate our really high-tech approach to things.鈥�

The brand鈥檚 modern offerings are why Patel wanted to bring the brand into the Sunport market, which he said is home to several aging and outdated Marriott hotels.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been there a very long time, and I felt that there was a need for a new, fresh Marriott product,鈥� said Patel, calling Aloft 鈥渙ne of the better brands in the Marriott family.鈥�

Patel spent the past three years going through the necessary approvals to bring the brand to New Mexico. Aloft currently has 166 locations across the United States, with the closest to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 being locations in El Paso, Lubbock, Denver and Tucson, according to its website.

鈥淚 like the way it works, I like the look and feel. I think it鈥檒l work well for airport travelers, and it鈥檒l be very convenient for them to stay in my hotel,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be the newest and nicest Marriott in the Sunport area.鈥�

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.