Association names Hotel Vandivort top boutique hotel

The Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association named downtown Springfield’s Hotel Vandivort its 2016 Boutique Hotel of the Year.

The $13.5 million hotel owned by brothers Billy and John McQueary received the recognition during the Oct. 25 Boutique & Lifestyle Leadership Symposium in Los Angeles, according to a news release.

“It’s an honor that our passion project can be a point of pride for our city, and hopefully, an inspiration for the continued revitalization and development of downtown’s cultural renaissance,” Billy McQueary said in the release.

The Boutique Hotel of the Year award is one of four honors given during the symposium. The 750-member organization’s top hotel award recognizes properties innovating the boutique lodging industry and factors quality of amenities, dining and the lodging experience. Previous winners include the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Woodmark Hotel & Still Spa in Kirkland, Washington.

The 50-room Hotel Vandivort opened in July 2015 and three months later became the first property in Springfield to receive AAA’s Four Diamond rating. The 305 E. Walnut St. hotel, which also features The Order restaurant, is seeking the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Gold designation, according to the release.