• Craddock Terry Hotel – Best in Central Virginia; a winner 5 years and running

• • Best Special Events Venue

  • Best Hotel

  • Best Wedding Venue

  • Best Restaurant – Shoemakers Grill

  • Best Bar – Shoemakers Grill

St. Paul, Virginia - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that the first recipient of the Virginia Tourism Growth Fund (VTGF) will be the Western Front Hotel in St. Paul, Virginia. The VTGF is a Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) program established to grow tourism development projects across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The grant is a partnership between the State of Virginia, the Town of St. Paul and the developers. The grant awarded was for $250,000. 

Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that the first recipient of the Virginia Tourism Growth Fund (VTGF) will be the Western Front Hotel in St. Paul. The VTGF is a Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) program established to grow tourism development projects across the state.

The numbers paint a rosy picture for developers and owners who want to dip their toes in the boutique, lifestyle, and soft brand segments. Collectively, these arenas are an $11.5 billion industry and growing, according to a report by The Highland Group.

Demand has increased for boutique, lifestyle, and soft brand hotels over the past six years, clearly since the recession, says Kim Bardoul, a consultant with the Atlanta-based hotel consultancy group and co-author of the 2015 report. For example, with lifestyle properties 300 rooms and under, demand grew at an annual average pace of nearly 20 percent from 2009 through 2014—far above the rate of overall U.S. hotel demand growth of 4.2 percent, the report shows.

Cornerstone Hospitality announced today the addition of the Hampton Inn and Sleep Inn & Suites, located in Stony Creek, Virginia and Comfort Inn, South Hill, Virginia to their portfolio.

“Both of the Stony Creek properties are located along I-95 and provide a wonderful location for travelers along the corridor and those utilizing the local military bases. These assets have been on our radar since our inception due to their close proximity to our corporate offices and quality of the asset.” said President and CEO of Cornerstone Hospitality, Kimberly L. Christner. The owners of these properties have completed the required brand refresh at both properties.  

Kimberly Christner, President of Cornerstone Hospitality and Hal Craddock, Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners will be speaking to the BLLA membership and conference attendees.

Creative Boutique Hotels, LLC (CBH) announced today that CBH partners Kimberly Christner, President of Cornerstone Hospitality and Hal Craddock, Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners will be speaking to the BLLA membership and conference attendees during the association's annual lodging summit in Los Angeles, California October 21-23, 2013.

Lodging Magazine recently reported on the formation of Creative Boutique Hotels.

Cornerstone Hospitality, a member of the Boutique and Lifestyle Lodging Association, announced that it has entered into a partnership with MB Contractors and Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners, both of Virginia, to form Creative Boutique Hotels.

There's whimsy there, said Kimberley Christner, president and CEO of Cornerstone Hospitality, who was hired as a development and operations consultant on the project and now manages the property. "It's an anchor of the area." Cornerstone is working on three more boutique hotels in historic Virginia towns.

Cornerstone Hospitality announced today the addition of the Hampton Inn located in South Hill, Virginia to their portfolio in December 2012.
"The Hampton Inn in South Hill is a great property in a wonderful location between Richmond and Raleigh. The owners have done a really nice job on a complete property renovation and implementation of all of the new Hampton Brand Initiatives," said President and CEO of Cornerstone Hospitality, Kimberly L. Christner.

The owners completely renovated the properties public space in 2012 and are in the final phase of renovations of the fitness center, guest rooms and guest room bathrooms.
Craig Larson, Chief Operating Officer, said, "We really enjoy working with owners who are attracted to and value our more hands-on approach to management and leadership of their property. This 55 room hotel and ownership partners are a great fit for our growing portfolio."

New revenue management solution will help Historic Hotels of America property easily manage pricing and forecasting

IDeaS Revenue Solutions, the leading provider of pricing and revenue management software, services and consulting to the hospitality industry, today announced the general availability of the new IDeaS Pricing System™, an affordable and intuitive revenue management solution for hoteliers with limited resources. Cornerstone Hospitality, LLC will be the first organization—outside of IDeaS' trusted pilot partners—to implement the new solution at the Craddock Terry Hotel located in Lynchburg, Va. Management staff at the hotel, a member of Preferred Hotel Group's Historic Hotels of America, will use the automated system to maximize profitability across the boutique, 44-room property.

Speakers at the Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference told attendees that affordable, unique experiences can be accomplished without spending a fortune in hotel development costs.

MIAMI BEACH, Florida—Boutique and lifestyle hotels don’t have to be luxurious to be a part of a jet setters fashionable life; they simply need to provide a unique environment in a comfortable setting that appeals to multiple layers of consumers.

Panelists speaking on the “Boutique and Lifestyle Doesn’t Have to Mean Luxury” panel during the opening day of the fourth annual Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference said trends are pointing to more value-conscious consumers being willing and able to seek out affordable, unique experiences in hotels other than “big beige boxes.”

Cornerstone Hospitality announced the addition of the first ever built Hampton Inn and Suites located in Newport News, Virginia to their portfolio.

"Our Hampton Inn & Suites was the first ever build in the country and Craig Larson has been the heart and soul of our hotel for the past 17 years," said Christine Yoder, Managing Member. " From the very beginning, his commitment has been a huge part of our success. It shows in the return guests, many of which he knows by name. He also has a strong commitment to his employees; many of them have been with the hotel for 10 - 15 years. We have tremendous respect for Craig as a person. His values mirror our own. It has made for a wonderful working relationship."

The Craddock Terry Hotel located in Lynchburg, Virginia has been honored with the 2012 "Best Boutique Hotel in Virginia" award from Virginia Living Magazine.