Two Upscale Hotels to Serve Lakewood by 2013

Lakewood plans to expand its hospitality industry with the construction of two upscale hotels, according to the city.

Groundbreaking for the Courtyard Marriott and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2012 and is expected to finish in late 2013, the city said in a news release.

One of the hotels will be built on the site of a mobile home park that shuttered in September, displacing 50 families, according to a Tacoma News Tribune article.

The hotel upgrades will provide about 50 local jobs, said Krista Hildebrand, managing director of Frause, the public relations agency that works with Lakewood. The two properties together will provide more than 200 new rooms in an area that has traditionally been underserved by the hospitality industry.

Expected growth at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will require an additional $2 billion to stem anticipated problems with congested traffic, limited housing and overcrowded schools in Pierce and Thurston counties, a defense department analysis revealed in December of 2010.

“As the host city for JBLM, we are delighted to have additional hotel space to meet the needs of the hundreds of vendors, contractors and other business people who provide services to the military base; not to mention family and friends of the military personnel stationed at the base,” said Lakewood City Manager Andrew Neiditz.

Lakewood has a history of low-end hotels along South Tacoma Way and other parts of the city. But with the two new properties, it soon will have four higher quality hotels located on Pacific Highway. The LaQuinta Inn & Suites was built in 2007 and the opened its doors in the fall of 2010.

The four-story, 109-room Courtyard by Marriott will provide business and leisure travelers upscale accommodations that include a full-service restaurant and bar, meeting space for up to 100 people, a fitness center and outdoor pool.

The TownePlace Suites by Marriott is an extended-stay facility that will offer business travelers a moderately priced option. The 101-room hotel will be composed of studios, single and double bedroom suites with full kitchens and in-room workspace. Other amenities include a fitness center, an indoor swimming pool, a business center and on-site laundry facilities.

Stan Jones, director of development for InterMountain Management LLC, the company developing the new hotels, said the Lakewood corridor has long been an area underserved by quality hotels.

"The site on Pacific Highway is perfect for those who are doing business or visiting the south Puget Sound area," Jones said. "Not only will it serve the growing population at JBLM, but also the growing number of businesses in Lakewood and surrounding communities.”

InterMountain Management develops, owns and operates premium brand hotel properties nationwide. In addition to these two new properties, the company operates several hotels in the Pacific Northwest, including two in the Puget Sound area: the Hampton Inn & Suites in Tacoma and the Hyatt Place in downtown Seattle.

Over the course of three years, the city has invested more than $18 million to redevelop 2 1/2-miles of the Pacific Highway corridor resulting in property and roadway improvements making the area ready for new businesses. In addition to the hotels, Lakewood Ford and Sound Transit have built .