Shamin Hotels debuts first Hyatt Select in US

Neil Amin, CEO of Richmond-based Shamin Hotels, likes to be first.

On Oct. 14, the hotel owner and operator opened the nation’s first Hyatt Select property at 13148 Kingston Ave. in Chester.

In October, McLean-based Hilton launched the Outset Collection brand, catering to travelers who seek out boutique hotels and unique experiences. Shamin Hotels plans to bring the brand to 2321 Atlantic Ave. in Virginia Beach, where the hotelier currently operates a Comfort Suites property.

“We signed one of the first licenses for that,” Amin said.

In 2022, Shamin Hotels was the first to open a Moxy hotel, a Marriott Bonvoy brand geared at young travelers, in Virginia. That property is in downtown Richmond.

“We enjoy being able to create new concepts and provide a unique experience to our guests,” Amin said in a statement.

It feels good, he added, to take feedback from early guests and be able to influence the brand’s direction.

In February, Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels unveiled Hyatt Select, which it describes as a “upper-midscale transient brand.” Of Hyatt’s five “brand portfolios” — luxury, lifestyle, inclusive, classics and essentials — Hyatt Select properties fall into the essentials category and offer “an efficient, streamlined guest experience without compromising the essentials.”

Amin spent more than $1.5 million to renovate the Chesterfield County hotel, which opened in 2002. Previously, it was a Hyatt Place property. An entity tied to Shamin Hotels purchased the hotel in 2020 for about $8.6 million, according to county property records.

The Chester Hyatt Select offers 121 rooms, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a self-service market and more than 1,800 square feet of meeting space.

“It caters to today’s modern traveler,” Amin said. “If you think about the grab-and-go option, that’s open 24/7 for guests to come down and get food drink, that’s very seamless. Also, it’s very contemporary. A lot of solid surfaces, clean lines … the high level of finishes. So, it’s really about spending money where it impacts guests, and really removing kind of the barriers from having a good stay.”

The Hyatt Select in Chester is the hotel closest to the Lego Group manufacturing facility being built at Meadowville Technology Park, Amin noted.

“We’re getting the corporate travel coming back after the pandemic,” he said.

Shamin Hotels expects to open the Outset Collection brand hotel in Virginia Beach next year. “It’ll be a full rebranding and full renovation,” he said.

An entity tied to Shamin Hotels purchased the hotel on Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront in 2021 for $16.8 million, according to property records.

Being an early operator of a new brand does have its challenges, according to Amin. A major hurdle is figuring out a brand’s technology, such as the computerized network that connects travel agents and online booking sites to a property. Also, it takes time for travelers to become familiar with a new brand.

“Just getting the word out is the biggest challenge,” Amin said.

Shamin Hotels operates 79 properties and has 20 more in the pipeline. Construction has begun on eight of those, according to Amin.