Maryland Live! Owners to Add Boutique Hotel to Casino Area

HANOVER, MD — Developers with Maryland Live Casino in Hanover announced Tuesday that they have purchased a hotel near the gaming venue and the site of its hotel already under construction, and will renovate the existing structure into the first Live! Lofts boutique hotel.

On Sept. 13, the Cordish Companies broke ground on construction of a $200 million hotel on the casino property. The 350,000-square-foot complex will feature a 17-story hotel tower, making it the tallest building in Anne Arundel County, with 310 guest rooms, an event center, meeting spaces, new dining options, and a day spa/salon.

Live! Hotel and Live! Lofts are the first two hotels to carry the Live! moniker and round out The Cordish Companies’ portfolio to include both luxury and boutique hotel accommodations. Expansion of both brands is planned across the United States and internationally.

“The establishment of the Live! brand in the hotel industry further solidifies its place as the nation’s leading name in entertainment by giving our guests the complete entertainment and hospitality experience,” said Blake Cordish, vice president of The Cordish Companies and head of the Real Estate Division, in a news release. “The combination of our luxury Live! Hotel collection and Live! Lofts boutique hotels gives us an even greater opportunity to provide our customers with the first-class accommodations, amenities and best-in- class customer service experience that have become the hallmark of the Live! brand nationwide.”

The flagship Live! Lofts is located at 7491 New Ridge Road in Hanover; it was formerly a Homewood Suites by Hilton. The purchase price for the property roughly a mile from the casino is $50 million, and includes a $3 million renovation budget.

The 11-story hotel complex currently features 250 rooms, including more than 100 suites; a heated indoor pool and jet spa; dining in The Loft Grill; cocktails in The Lounge; and a variety of 24-hour amenities, including shuttle transportation to and from Live! Casino and BWI Airport.

About 3,400 square feet of meeting and banquet space is also available. Rooms will remain available to guests as renovations begin in public spaces beginning in late 2016/early 2017, with final improvements to the hotel expected to be complete by mid-2017, the company says.

Construction on the new hotel is slated to wrap up in the first quarter of 2018, according to Cordish Global Gaming Group. That puts its opening more than a year behind the new MGM National Harbor resort set to open in Prince George’s County in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Cordish Companies says the new hotel will be located adjacent to Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills and add new dining options at the site. The construction project is expected to create about 400 new jobs for area residents and 550 construction jobs for the region.

»Architect's image of renovated Live! Lofts boutique hotel at Maryland Live Casino, courtesy of Cordish Companies