A two year, $6 million dollar renovation of downtown Bryan’s LaSalle Hotel is finished.
The Connecticut based owner held a ribbon cutting Tuesday (September 17) at their four star boutique property that is associated with the Marriott Tribute brand.
Contributing to the makeover was more than $1 million dollars of incentives from the Bryan city council.
The 55 room hotel is supposed to collect at least $100,000 dollars in hotel occupancy tax money by the end of 2025.
The renovation also includes a new restaurant and bar and an outdoor event space.
News release from LaSalle owner New Castle Hotels & Resorts:
September 17, 2024, Jeremy Buffam and Julian Buffam, partners at New Castle Hotels & Resorts (NCH), a leading hotel investment, development and management company, today announced the reopening of the 55-room, historic LaSalle Hotel in Bryan, Texas following a top-to-bottom, multi-million dollar reimagination. Built in 1928, the hotel is in the heart of downtown Bryan, a recognized Texas Cultural District and sister city to College Station, home of Texas A&M University. The LaSalle joins the Marriott Tribute Portfolio , a family of independent boutique hotels.
Taking up Bryan’s affinity for authentic places and legendary stories, The LaSalle’s reimagining is a nod to the influence of the railroad in establishing the city as the epicenter of Texas’ five major metropolitan areas, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Boutique hotel intimacy and rich, roaring 20’s styling immediately let guests know they’ve found a place like none other. Dining car decor in the hotel’s lobby-level restaurant Station 36, a covered, outdoor event space called The Platform, and the hotel’s subterranean speakeasy, the Boiler Room, seal the deal.
“We wanted to give guests, and the citizens of Bryan, a hotel as memorable as the city itself,” said Jeremy Buffam. “Trains and hotels evoke a nostalgia for travel and adventure that goes hand in glove with the preferences of today’s travelers for a truly authentic experience. The re-imagined LaSalle strikes those notes of reverence and reverie in a way that we know visitors will find compelling.”
“The LaSalle opened as a theater, was used to treat returning Civil War soldiers and when that was no longer needed, legend has it that the building was sold for 2500 gold coins, becoming a hotel in 1928, during the golden age of railroad travel.” Buffam continued. “The people who’ve passed through these doors, and the stories that brought them here, spark the imagination and create connections to our shared past in a unique and inviting way.”
“New Castle has a long history of acquiring historic hotels and repositioning them for new generations of travelers,” said Julian Buffam. “We saw the potential of The LaSalle through a comprehensive repositioning and affiliation with Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, which introduces this small-city treasure to the growing base of Bonvoy Loyalty Members that are looking for a distinct and elevated hospitality experience in Bryan and College Station. Downtown Bryan’s concentration of independent boutiques, bars and restaurants and its designation as a cultural arts district play well with boutique, community-centric hotels of this quality that are designed to invite the public in and create meaningful connections between guests and locals.”
Recognized by Forbes as the “Best Small Place” for education, business, and careers, the City of Bryan supported the project with municipal incentives and historic tax credits.
“The LaSalle is a critical historical asset in Downtown Bryan, and the New Castle team has done a tremendous job in assuring that it is preserved and celebrated,” said Bryan Mayor Bobby Guitterez. “This opening is an important milestone in our efforts to build the birthplace of Aggieland into a thriving, culturally rich destination for years to come.”
The LaSalle features 55 guest rooms, Station 36 serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, The Boiler Room speakeasy, and indoor/outdoor accommodations for groups.