Olympia Companies and Smart Hotels Close on Hilton Garden Inn Site
February 7, 2011 - The Olympia Companies, along with its partner SMART Hotels, LLC of Beachwood, Ohio, announce the acquisition of a site for a 125-room Hilton Garden Inn in Durham, NC.
This will be the first project in this unique joint venture with a core strategy of developing 'SMART' hotels in university markets with high barriers to entry. The Hilton Garden Inn University/ Medical Center will be located on West Main Street in Durham just off the campus of Duke University and the Duke Medical Center, which has broken ground on a new $222 million dollar Cancer Center.
Construction on the hotel is slated to commence this spring with the hotel opening in the spring of 2012. The Hilton Garden Inn University/Medical Center will be operated by Olympia Hotel Management, the operating arm of The Olympia Companies based in Portland, Maine. Olympia is a leading hospitality management company with a collection of high quality franchised and independent properties throughout the east coast.
The Olympia Companies has been in operation since 1969 and currently owns and/or manages 16 hotels from Charlottesville, VA to Bangor, Maine. “We are excited to extend our portfolio of University-based hotels in such a dynamic community as Durham,” said Kevin Mahaney, President and CEO of The Olympia Companies.
SMART Hotels, LLC was formed to create a new standard for campus hospitality with hotels tailored to the unique attributes of each campus and community. SMART Hotels exclusively focuses on top-ranked universities and medical centers. “We look forward to partnering with Olympia to bring a great hotel amenity to Duke University and Duke University Medical Center, both world-class institutions,” said Ed Small, President of SMART Hotels.
The Hilton Garden Inn University/Medical Center will offer 125 guest rooms, meeting facilities, pool, exercise room, and food and beverage options.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
