Portales hotel redevelopment announced

PORTALES, NM—The Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation (RCCDC) announces a new redevelopment in downtown Portales. The property on 223 West Second Street, also known to the community as the Portales Inn, has been acquired by Ambience Hospitality LLC and is slated for redevelopment of a new nationally recognized hotel chain.

The RCCDC along with the City of Portales have been instrumental in piecing this development together. The property is a significant landmark in downtown Portales and places an important visual and social impression on the community’s economic health and vibrancy. The new development will serve as a strong economic engine to the downtown area.

The new owner, Ambience Hospitality LLC, is an award winning hotel, property development, and Management Company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company owns and manages hotels and properties throughout New Mexico and within other states. The Portales Inn property is the latest of their acquisitions and plans are to begin redevelopment construction within the next month.

According to a statement from Ambience Hospitality LLC, "The Company is excited for the project of bringing new life to an historic building and to support the local community. The plan is to restore the exterior of the building to its original look as closely as possible, and to renovate the interior with up-to-date service and environmentally friendly technology.

This renovation will have a blended balance of old historic flavor with new energy, efficient equipment, and fixtures. The new hotel will feature a grand lobby, meeting space, fitness center for guest use, and 50 guest rooms designed specifically for the business traveler who desires the downtown location. With multiple restaurants and other services available in the area, it is sure to be the perfect location. The hotel will be affiliated with a major nationally known hotel brand and will open as a Best Western Plus hotel. It will be the only Best Western product within a 90-mile radius, and the brand carries with it a loyal following of Best Western customers."

RCCDC Board President Randy Knudson stated, "We are glad to see this property being redeveloped. The new hotel will bring downtown lodging to our community once again. It will add to our continued downtown revitalization efforts and will increase economic vitality to our downtown, complementing the already growing area. We’ve always known the historic significance and importance of this property to the citizens of our community. We thank Ambience Hospitality, their President and CEO, Mr. Dan Kumar for their commitment of redeveloping this important structure. We also know the importance of meeting the lodging needs in Portales; therefore our effort to recruit this new hotel to our community."

With the growth of the community, Eastern New Mexico (ENMU), and Cannon Air Force Base (CAFB), events, activities, business, governmental, military, personal and leisure lodging demand has increased in Portales. With the most recent addition of ENMU’s Greyhound Stadium, additional multi-purpose events are being scheduled that bring even more lodging needs to Portales. Currently, to and through city travel is strong here in Portales. Lodger’s tax returns the past several years have demonstrated a healthy growth each year.

The RCCDC was established in 1998 and was formed to preserve, expand, and promote the diverse regional economy through proactive engagement in business expansion and retention, entrepreneurial development, business recruitment, and community-oriented marketing for the City of Portales, Eastern New Mexico University, Roosevelt County, its citizens, and students.