Hilton Garden Inn in Bentonville completes $3 million makeover

by Paul Gatling ([email protected]) 619 views 

The new owners of a 133-room hotel on Walton Boulevard in Bentonville have completed a $3 million renovation.

Tina Archer-Cope, sales and marketing director for Hilton Garden Inn at 2204 S.E. Walton Blvd., said every room has been updated with a more modern look.

The project began in mid-December and was completed May 26.

“We wrapped up the week before [Wal-Mart] shareholders’ week,” she said. “We knew we’d be busy and needed to be in ‘go’ mode that week.”

Revenue numbers are up 10% since May 26, Cope said, and bookings for the next three quarters are tracking ahead of last year.

Cope said every room was re-painted. Closets and bathrooms were also updated and furniture and art work was replaced. The project also included an updated to the hotel’s 700 square feet of meeting space.

“It was mandated by Hilton, but Beechwood [Hospitality] wanted to have a better property as well,” she said.

Bryan Rose is the general manager of the hotel, which has 40 full-time employees. It is owned and managed by Beechwood Hospitality, a family-owned hotel management firm in Little Rock. Beechwood acquired the property in April 2016 for $11.8 million, part of a deal that acquired ownership of four hotels in the region for $48 million.

Other properties Beechwood acquired in the deal were DoubleTree Suites by Hilton ($19 million, 140 rooms) at 301 S.E. Walton Blvd. and Best Western Plus Castlerock Inn & Suites ($5.4 million, 83 rooms) at 501 S.E. Walton Blvd., in Bentonville, and Staybridge Suites ($11.8 million, 109 rooms) at 1577 W. 15th St. in Fayetteville.

Beechwood has since sold off the Best Western Inn property.

Cope said the Greater Bentonville Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a ribbon cutting and open house at the hotel on July 13.