Montrose hotel moves closer to reality
80-room site planned near popular LGBTQ nightlife corridor gains key city approvals
A hotel proposed in Montrose’s LGBTQ nightlife corridor is a step closer to fruition after gaining key approvals from the Houston Planning Commission on Thursday.
Mighty Equities, a real estate firm based in Houston and Austin, hopes to build a six-story, 80-room hotel at the northwest corner of Hyde Park Boulevard and Stanford.
On Thursday, Mighty Equities sought approval to have the hotel entrance along a street that is not a major thoroughfare or four-lane street. Last summer, the Planning Commission approved of other variances the developer sought. Mighty Equities still needs to move through the city’s standard permitting process before breaking ground.
The planned location is within one or two blocks of many of the city’s most popular gay bars, including Ripcord and George and the Eagle. It would put visitors within walking distance of shops and restaurants such as Cuchara, Boheme, Barnaby’s and Reeve’s art and design.
“Montrose is an amazing place … and we are adding a hotel that will celebrate the history and diversity of the neighborhood,” said Manish Patel, founder of Mighty Equities. “If you look at the site, the Eagle is across the street, Ripcord is right there and Montrose Collective is just a short walk away. This is kind of in the middle of it all.” Montrose Collective is a mixed-use development on Westheimer east of Montrose Boulevard that was completed in 2021.
The proposed hotel was initially planned with 52 rooms and an attached event venue, but after talking with dozens of neighbors concerned about traffic, Mighty Equities reduced the size of the event space but added more rooms.
The latest plans call for about 19,000 square feet of amenities, including a rooftop pool and bar that would be open to the public at various times. It would also have a ground-floor restaurant and lobby bar open to the public.
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“We want this hotel to not only be for people traveling to come through. This should be an extension of your living room,” Patel said. While it’s too early to say what the room rates would be, he expects room rates to vary from about $300 to $1,000 a night, depending on room sizes and the season.
There would be 18 valet parking spaces on the site, plus an 85car garage of four to five stories on Crocker.
Construction, estimated to cost $50 million to $65 million, is at least 18 months out, Patel said. Mighty Equities hasn’t secured financing or hired a contractor for the hotel.
At Thursday’s commission meeting, one area resident opposed the project, expressing concerns about fire department access.
Two others supported the project.
“My husband and I moved to Montrose because we love our ability to walk to the best restaurants and social areas in the city,” said Sarah Candler, who lives near the hotel site. “We understand the hotel will certainly change the traffic patterns and foot traffic. I’ve spoken with the owners of the project and I do trust that they’re committed to making our neighborhood better.”
Mighty Equities said it has collected nearly 100 signatures from neighbors supporting the project. The owners of George also penned a letter of support for the hotel, noting that the project’s design would add benches and enhanced pedestrian lighting that would make it safer for customers and employees at night. George’s owners said they still had concerns about traffic during construction but were working with the developer to address those potential disruptions, according to Planning Commission documents.
Mighty Equities said it is partnering with the University of Houston’s Hilton College of Global Hospitality on some aspects of the design. Once the hotel is closer to opening, Hilton College students could also intern at the hotel, said Grant Jungeblut, principal at Mighty Equities. The developer also said it hopes to employ Montrose-area residents at the hotel.