NEWCRESTIMAGE HAS OPENED its first Canopy by Hilton upscale hotel in north Dallas. The Canopy is part of Frisco Station, a four-brand, 600-room “lifestyle hotel campus” developed by the company.
The 150-room, seven-floor Canopy joins the first two hotels, an AC Hotel and Residence Inn dual-brand with 150 rooms each that opened in 2019. The fourth hotel, a 150-room Hyatt Place, currently has no scheduled date for start of construction.
“The opening of this Canopy symbolizes the story of hospitality’s comeback around the country and around the world,” said Mehul Patel, chairman and CEO of NewcrestImage. “Our company’s commitment to serve travelers is not a victim of coronavirus, and we have many hygiene procedures in place so guests can feel safe, comfortable, and special.”
Some of those procedures include disinfecting guest luggage on arrival; using technology to reduce physical interaction between guests and staff during check-in and check-out; and improving the hotel’s HVAC system to prevent spread of microbes and virus.
“The way we are doing business is different, but our values and our reasons for being in business are very much the same,” added Patel. “Connecting with travelers is in our DNA -- even if that connection is from six feet away for now.”
Frisco Station is a 242-acre complex about 25 minutes from DFW International Airport that includes shopping, dining, and entertainment, as well as office space, urban living units, and recreation areas. The Canopy is a boutique hotel featuring locally inspired design, furnishings, and artwork, as well as a brand-specific headboard that reaches to the ceiling and overhangs the bed.
“Canopy hotels are a natural extension of their neighborhoods which is reflected in the design, food and drink, artwork, and other key elements of the guest journey,” said Gary Steffen, global head for the brand.
Patel participated in an April webinar sponsored by AAHOA in which he talked about the company’s participation in the Paycheck Protection Program.
“This was a really good program that’s going to help small business,” he said.
Dallas-based American Bank, which Patel and his partners at NewcrestImage Chirag Patel and Mital Patel, purchased last year, funded more than $25 million to small hotels.
