FOLLOWUP: Shamin plans boutique hotel in downtown Richmond

Chester-based Shamin Hotels plans to open a boutique hotel in Richmond aimed at millennials.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the 87-room hotel at the corner of Fifth and Franklin streets in downtown Richmond will be part of Marriott’s new Moxy line, lodgings targeted for vibrant urban settings.

Jack Berry, president and CEO of Richmond Region Tourism, told the newspaper that landing a Moxy hotel is a coup for Richmond. Marriott currently has only two Moxy hotels in the U.S., in New Orleans and Tempe, Ariz., and four in Europe.

The hotel site is a former business incubator owned by the Richmond Economic Development Authority.  Construction on the hotel is expected to begin in January and take about a year to complete.

Neil Amin, president and CEO of Shamin Hotels, appeared on the cover of the May issue of Virginia Business, which looked at the prospects of the commonwealth’s hospitality and tourism industry.
Shamin, which owns 48 hotels in four states, last spring opened two hotels with a rooftop bar and restaurant in a former office building in downtown Richmond.

In addition, the magazine’s September issue looked at the Quirk Hotel in Richmond, which is housed in a former department store. The downtown hotel, opened in September 2015, has attracted national attention.