Last edited March 27 at 1:28 p.m.Springfield-based hotel development and management company O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC is expected to co-own and manage a roughly 150-room Hilton Garden Inn as part of a $200 million sports and entertainment venue in Foley, Ala.
The hotel is a key cog in the 520-acre Blue Collar Country complex being developed by Springfield-based Killian Construction Co., Branson entertainer Tony Orlando and a Tennessee partner. Both O’Reilly Hospitality Management CEO Tim O’Reilly and a city of Foley official have said the hotel development and management company is expected to be involved.
The hotel plans are still being solidified, according to O’Reilly.
“I can confirm that we are in discussions with the Blue Collar group to manage and possibly own part or all of the Hilton Garden Inn in Foley, Ala.,” he said by email. “We are excited about the project and believe it has enormous potential as a business and tourism center in southern Alabama.”
Foley Economic Development Director Jeff Rouzie said the city plans to begin construction on 16 youth sports fields next week, and work has already begun on a multimillion-dollar highway connector road dubbed Pride Drive.
He said construction of the ball fields is expected to cost $16.2 million and Killian Construction Co. would be the general contractor. As part of the city’s larger agreement with developer BC Foley LLC, dba Blue Collar Destinations, the city also would construct a 104,000-square-foot entertainment venue, if two planned hotels are constructed.
The first hotel would be the Hilton Garden Inn, according to Rouzie. Both Rouzie and O’Reilly said that facility currently is being designed.
“O’Reilly Hospitality is supposed to be building that, or at least managing it,” Rouzie said.
For now, Rouzie said the entertainment center is on hold until financing is in place for development of the hotels.
“The plans are basically done, but we’re on hold until the Blue Collar development group finalizes (hotel financing) and they can prove to us that they are ready to go,” Rouzie said. “We are not going to build anything there until we have hotel rooms. That was a part of the deal to begin with, and that is critical to make that multiuse facility work.”
In all, the entertainment venue is estimated to lean on $70 million in city, state and federal financing, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives. Centered around a man-made lake, plans also call for a 100,000-square-foot sports and events center, a NASCAR-themed attraction, an RV park for 170 campers, the youth sports fields, 15 carnival-style rides and retail space.
O’Reilly said
a year ago that he was in talks with the Blue Collar group about the development of the Hilton Garden Inn following months of overall project delays.
According to O’Reilly, construction on the Hilton Garden Inn in Foley should begin by mid- to late 2015.[[In-content Ad]]
