Washington Marriott Capitol Hill Welcomes Guests to the Nation's Capital

Photo Courtesy of Issac Masielman

Washington Marriott Capitol Hill debuts January 11, 2023, standing between Washington DC’s iconic Capitol Hill and emerging NoMa neighborhoods. “The new Washington Marriott Capitol Hill reflects the transformation of the Marriott brand, delivering imaginative design, memorable food and drink concepts, and uncompromising service that will appeal to guests and locals, delivering authentic and memorable experiences,” said Rick Sawyer, General Manager.

Located within walking distance of the US Capitol, Union Station, and the bustling Union Market neighborhood, the hotel is a true urban retreat. Situated within the newly developed NoMa Center, the hotel sits adjacent to 40,000 square feet of new retail and restaurants. Guest rooms provide workstations with high-speed internet access, as well a luxurious linens and modern amenities. There is also an expansive 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center so guests can keep up their fitness routines while away from home.

INSPIRED INNOVATION
Upon arrival, guests enter sophisticated public areas designed by award-winning, local Washington, DC-based designer, Darryl Carter. Society Commons, a social hub from day to
night, features an intimate bar and a full-service restaurant, which transitions with guests from social to business, creative, and personal activities.

The hotel’s design seeks to honor the past by capturing a spirit that is focused, determined, and efficient using crisp and streamlined architectural and decor elements that are intentional and purposeful. The materials are polished and refined, with hints of strong metals and warm woods. The style embraces the future by combining these metals and woods in fearless applications, using contemporary forms and angular shapes that are both unexpected and dramatic.

A standard across Marriott Hotels globally, the hotel’s M Club is open 24/7 as an exclusive space reserved for hotel guests who are Marriott Bonvoy Elite members. Benefits include complimentary food and beverage throughout the day such as hot breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres, and premium beverages, ensuring uninterrupted productivity for business travelers.

NEXT LEVEL MEETINGS
With 18,000 square feet of state-of-the-art pre-function and event space, the hotel creates connections and offers spaces that can be adapted to varied sizes and formats. The ballroom delivers uninterrupted sight lines and features 15-foot ceilings and leading-edge lighting. Designed to creatively accommodate today’s guest needs, the space is expansive enough to host 280, while customizable for intimate events. In addition to the innovative indoor meeting space, the property also boasts a stunning courtyard that delivers more than 5,000 square feet of extraordinary special event space with the nation’s skyline as a backdrop.

SAVORY DELIGHTS
An oasis in the sky, Yara is a sexy indoor/outdoor venue that includes a chef-driven restaurant, buzzing bar + lively lounge that celebrate the cuisine and spirit(s) of Latin cultures… with a twist! The menu features fresh and bold flavors, embraces seafood, shareables and unexpected flavor profiles. Inspiration comes not from any one country but offers traditional and modern takes on dishes from across Central and South America. Adding to the fun, the mixology program features creative and classic craft cocktails, incorporating fresh squeezed juices and zero-proof tonics and botanicals – perfect for a group or date night.

The hotel, developed by The Buccini/Pollin Group and Perseus TDC, an entity of Transwestern, and managed by PM Hotel Group, is the first franchised Marriott property inside Washington’s Capital Beltway.

Washington Marriott Capitol Hill is located at 175 L Street NE, Washington, DC, 20002. The hotel participates in Marriott Bonvoy, the award-winning travel program from Marriott International, allowing members to earn and redeem points for their stay at the new hotel, and at other hotels and resorts across Marriott Bonvoy’s extraordinary portfolio of brands. With the Marriott Bonvoy app, members enjoy a level of personalization and a contactless experience that allows them to travel with peace of mind.

For more information about Washington Marriott Capitol Hill and to book reservations, visit www.Marriott.com/wasnn or call (202) 972-9800.

Photos Curtesy of Issac Masielman

CRE Clients Featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer: What to do, eat, and see in Wilmington

Christina River Exchange client’s Wilma's, Le Cavalier at the Green Room, HOTEL DU PONT, and Bardea Food & Drink recognized in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s guide “What to do, eat, and see in Wilmington”!

“As President Joe Biden’s adopted hometown, Wilmington is having a moment. While that moment has shined a national spotlight on the small city just 45-minutes south of Philadelphia, excitement about Wilmington has been building locally for years.

For the last century, the city has been known as the home of the storied DuPont family and its influential chemical company, as well as a financial center, but after business hours, things got quiet. That’s changed. Today, you’ll find beer gardens, artsy coffee shops, tattoo parlors, sporting events, and artisanal shops that are open well past 5 p.m.

Over the last couple of decades, the city beautified its once-industrial waterfront, which now has a minor league baseball stadium, the indoor Chase Fieldhouse sports complex, the Jack A. Markell Trail, an IMAX theater, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment all along a scenic mile and a half long riverwalk.

In the last 10 years, the city’s downtown has gone through a similar renaissance, thanks to thousands of new apartments that house 4,000 new residents — many of them millennial transplants coming from places like New York and Philly. Much of the new development is along about 10 blocks on downtown’s main drag, Market Street, which charms visitors with historic architecture, clean streets, independent shops, theaters, and renowned restaurants, such as Bardea, which was just named a James Beard Awards semifinalist…”

Continue Reading on The Inquirer

CRE Client Featured in Vogue: America’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2022

Christina River Exchange client Bardea Steak was recently featured as one of “America’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2022” by Vogue!

“The team behind Wilmington, Delaware’s James Beard semifinalist restaurant Bardea Food & Drink, Scott Stein and chef Antimo DiMeo, are expanding their Bardea brand with beef-based Bardea Steak. Serving as their third eatery, Bardea Steak will be a contemporary take on a classic steakhouse, claiming a spacious 5,000 square foot plot adjacent to Bardea Food & Drink in downtown Wilmington. DiMeo is planning to cook various beef cuts (including off-cuts) in a custom-made open-hearth, with a focus on various aging techniques. Wines will lean toward American producers, while some cocktails will be made tableside.”

Continue Reading on Vogue.com

Crobsy Hill Celebrates Topping Out Ceremony

Joined by City of Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, Wilmington-based developer, The Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. (BPG), BPGS Construction, Christina River Exchange, and ResideBPG celebrated the topping out of their latest residential development Crosby Hill on January 19th. During the ceremony, a structural beam was raised to the roof of the 11-story building, signifying a major milestone in the development of the 203-unit multi-family community coming to 517 Shipley Street in the Fall of 2022.

Following remarks from Mayor Purzycki, Rob Buccini, Co-President of The Buccini/Pollin Group, and Chris Langan, Residential Regional Director for The Buccini/Pollin Group, guests, neighbors, and project partners were invited to sign the beam prior to its raising by the 150 foot-tall crane that’s been a focal point of the City skyline for the past eight months. The development, which is nearly halfway complete, brings over 200 construction jobs to the City of Wilmington throughout the project.

Designed by Niles Bolton Associates, the $62 million development includes two 4-story buildings and one 11-story building surrounding a private, landscaped courtyard with a swimming pool, fireplace, BBQ grills, screening area, and pergola. A private parking garage with 124 parking spots will be located underground for residents. The building will also feature a fitness center and a penthouse clubroom on the 11th floor with unparalleled city and river views. The clubroom will boast a demonstration kitchen, game room, coworking space, indoor fireplace, and outdoor terrace. The community will include studios, one, and two-bedroom apartments with stainless-steel appliances, quartz counter tops and high-end finish details throughout.

The name Crosby Hill pays tribute to the Crosby and Hill Department Store that prominently served Wilmington for nearly a century from 1878 to 1960 at 605 Market St. Described by the Every Evening in 1888 as “an indication of the substantial development of the retail trade in Wilmington…[and] an ornament to the lead business center of the city,” BPG believes this new development will be just as influential for the City as the first Crosby and Hill building.

While the majority of development in recent years has been concentrated to Market Street, Crosby Hill marks a significant move westward to widen the core of the Central Business District in Downtown Wilmington. Prior to demolition, the site was originally a standard parking lot. Crosby Hill will relocate the parking underground and bring an estimated 350 people to Shipley Street, which impacts the broader strategy to build critical mass and broaden the Downtown.

To date, BPG has brought over 2,100 units to the residential market in Wilmington and has no plans of stopping. Even with the addition of 300 new units to Downtown Wilmington last year, BPG’s residential portfolio remains stabilized across the board at 95% occupancy with consistent leasing activity at our newest communities The Cooper and 101 dupont place, which are both over 80% occupied.

To join the mailing list for progress updates, please visit www.residecrosbyhill.com.

101 dupont place Receives DCA Construction Excellence Award

Clare Catka, Joe Fulton, Sabrina Matheson

Christina River Exchange project 101 dupont place received a Construction Excellence Awards from the Delaware Contractors Association at the 51st Annual Meeting held on Thursday, October 28th at the Chase Center in Wilmington.

Development and Construction Manager for the project BPGS Construction was presented the Historic Preservation Construction Excellence Award for 101 dupont place, a 198-unit multifamily residential community within the historic Dupont Building in Wilmington, DE. The project converted 240,000 SF of vacant office space across 13 floors into a luxury apartment community, featuring studio to 3-bedroom apartments, a resident lounge in the historically-preserved DuPont Company boardroom, Wilmington’s first rooftop deck, and more.

Congratulations to the entire project team for this well-deserved recognition!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

CRE Celebrates Virgin Hotels New Orleans Grand Opening

On Thursday, October 8th, Christina River Exchange joined members of BPGS Construction’s hotel development team to travel to New Orleans to celebrate the city’s resilience and continued growth as an international destination with the opening of Virgin Hotels New Orleans, the most recent hotel from Sir Richard Branson’s expanding brand of lifestyle hotels.

Sir Richard arrived on property, baton in hand, accompanied by the Marching 100, St. Augustine High School’s internationally acclaimed band from nearby Lafayette Square.

Hotel owners The Buccini/Pollin Group and Virgin Hotels New Orleans presented the school with a donation to help and support with damages to the building sustained from Hurricane Ida, while Virgin Hotels Chief Executive Officer James Bermingham and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson addressed the students.

“We’re glad to be part of this community and embrace the incredible spirit of New Orleans,” said Sir Richard. “How wonderful it is to celebrate this beautiful new property and becoming part of the continued growth of one of the world’s most magical cities.”

After the marching parade arrived en masse at Virgin Hotels New Orleans, Sir Richard, James Bermingham and Dave Pollin of Buccini/Pollin Group presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony that reflected Sir Richard’s dedication and commitment to the Big Easy. Students and attendees received a native magnolia tree to plant from Common Ground Relief, whose Plant a Million Trees campaign aims to help the city and Gulf Coast communities build healthy, robust coastal wetlands.

No Crescent City event is complete without music and the grand opening event delivered. Musical guests and performers including Ivan Neville and DJs Boyfriend, Logic and Jodeci Juice showcased the hotel’s fabulous dining and entertainment spaces. Performances took place throughout the property — from the ground level Shag Room and Commons Club to the 13th floor Pool Club and Dreamboat.

“Our excitement in opening Virgin Hotels New Orleans grows stronger each day that we get to witness the passion and pride New Orleanians feel for their hometown. The city’s welcoming spirit, lively entertainment and incredible culinary experiences are all things we’re excited to bring to life at our hotel,” said Bermingham.

CRE Procurement Manager Brenda Layne and Procurement Specialist Sabrina Matheson were instrumental in bringing this 225 room hotel to fruition. Please join us in congratulating the entire project team on this momentous occasion!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary - A Note from Founder Michelle Schwandt

It’s hard to believe Christina River Exchange opened its doors on A Street five years ago today. Like any new business, we experienced the thrill of success and, as well, the angst of lessons learned as we worked hard as a team to master the art of FF&E procurement.

In five years, we’ve completed 16 hotels, 5 multi-family projects, and 5 restaurants/commercial projects! But we share these successes with our co-workers at The Buccini/Pollin Group, BPGS Construction, and the many professionals to include the designers, architects, contractors, vendors, operators, and our Clients with whom we work every day. We are truly grateful for your support, for making our work enjoyable, and mostly, for your friendship.

And to our CRE team members – both present and legacy – thank you for all you do each and every day. Here’s to many more successful projects together… and to another five years!

Cheers!

Michelle

---

In the past 5 years, we've worked on incredible projects in a variety of industries! Take a look back at some of our favorites:

Hotel: Virgin Hotels Nashville

Restaurant: Le Cavalier at the Green Room

Commercial Office Space: Swedesford Park

Multifamily Residential: 101 dupont place

Affordable Housing: La Central

The Beatrice is Ready for Opening in Providence

The Beatrice is a 47-room boutique hotel centrally located in the lively historic district in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It is steps away from renowned restaurants, universities, commercial, retail, and art, and cultural institutions. Paolino Properties recently updated the historic 1887 Exchange Building creating an expansive glass atrium lobby which will serve as the check-in location for guests of The Beatrice. Also onsite will be a fitness center, two restaurants, and a rooftop bar and lounge serving guests, VIP’s and local patrons.

Hotel interiors feature modern design details to contrast with the 19th century bones of the building. Guestrooms are bathed in a color palette of neutral whites and pale grays accented by touches of pinks and pops of black and gold furniture. Luxe finishes such as herringbone floors, custom carpets, high ceilings and city views distinguish the rooms.

CRE Procurement Specialist, Zach Shope, walked us through the process of completing the FF&E package for a brand new boutique hotel in the middle of a pandemic.

How did you oversee the FF&E installation to ensure client satisfaction?

The Beatrice is a 5-floor hotel, so the installation process started on the 5th floor and worked down from there. It took roughly 3 weeks, but it was rather complicated since multiple trades were working at once. CRE had to coordinate with each trade, from the general contractors to the installers to drapery, etc., so each trade had their own space or floor to work on. It took a lot of communication with daily ownership calls to facilitate the appropriate dates and times for the install of each space.

What is the biggest challenge you faced during this project, and how did you overcome it?

The lobby chandelier is about 30 feet long and has hundreds of glass crystals. Because it is such a huge piece, it required it’s own install team with very detailed instructions.

In regards to COVID-19, it was necessary to adhere to all policies while still keeping the schedule on track. It was important to be knowledgeable of Rhode Island’s protocol. and communicate that with everyone on site in advance.

Is there anything else about the project that you’d like to mention?

One aspect of this project that I really liked was the addition of the rooftop bar to our scope. I enjoyed working on this creative space because the roof featured many coop pieces that made it unique. Overall, this project was super fun because the ownership group and design team were great to work with and always very helpful.

DoubleTree Financial District Renovation Complete

Set in the Stone Street Historic District of lower Manhattan, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New York City Financial District is a beautiful downtown hotel with magnificent views of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Ellis Island. Brand new guest rooms feature warm mahogany tones and rich colors. They are tastefully appointed with custom wall coverings, distinct furnishings, and baths enhanced with contemporary features.

CRE Procurement Specialist, Zach Shope, gave us a behind the scenes look into renovating an existing brand-name hotel in one of the most visited cities in the world.

Can you breakdown the FF&E installation process?

It is a 44-floor hotel, so the installation was broken down to four floors every week or two starting on the top floor. To ensure client satisfaction, I had weekly calls with the client every Thursday to discuss what’s needed for the current floors, mitigate any issue, and plan for the next week. I also regularly communicated the scheduled with the vendors, construction team, and installation team so everyone was on track.

What is the biggest challenge you faced during this project, and how did you overcome it?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery schedules were constantly changing since many of our venders for the guestrooms were from China. Unfortunately, there was not much we could do since many companies were closed for a month or two. However, we did keep in touch with everyone and planned ahead for a 2-month delay. We did our best to keep vendors motivated to meet deadlines, while also demonstrating empathy and understanding during this difficult time.

Do you have a favorite space or fixture from the project?

The artwork in the public spaces is very cool. The hotel has a very strong city-themed design, but the creative artwork and bold lighting make it unique. An artist even hand-painted the interior mural!

Is there anything else unique about the project that you found interesting?

The Lutron lighting package was very high tech and interesting. It required a lot of attention because there were many moving components, and I learned a lot about the lighting on this project through this process. The approval packages were roughly 160 pages on this project compared to 1-3 pages normally since it was a large order with many details.

The Design Inspiration Behind a Revived 107-Year-Old Hotel Restaurant | Philly Mag

Image Credit: Jason Varney

CRE client Le Cavalier at The Green Room was recently featured by Philadelphia Magazine for the design inspiration behind the space! Check out the article below and read more on phillymag.com.

---

The Design Inspiration Behind a Revived 107-Year-Old Hotel Restaurant

Le Cavalier at the Hotel Du Pont respects its architectural past while providing smart upgrades for its future.

by ASHLEY PRIMIS

When Lance Saunders — the design director for Rittenhouse’s Stokes Architecture & Design — was hired to remake the 107-year-old Hotel Du Pont restaurant into a French brasserie, he knew the challenges would be many. “We wanted to make it attractive to a younger crowd without alienating the people who had spent their whole lives going there,” he says. The hotel, which was purchased by the Buccini/Pollin Group in 2017, is part of its multimillion-dollar investment in the area. BPG tapped Philly chef Tyler Akin, owner of Stock, to run Le Cavalier — the restaurant’s new name.

Saunders, who has done work for Starr Restaurants and La Colombe, started by updating the existing historical elements. Then he carefully layered in new seating and lighting and added a bar. “We didn’t want to make this look like Epcot by taking old details and replicating them,” he says. “We reinterpreted new elements in a slightly modern way to signify that this is an old space that’s progressing.”

Continue Reading…

Image Credit: Jason Varney