Visitors to Taylor will soon have another option for lodging on the city’s north side.
At the regular meeting of the City Council Oct. 13, city leaders moved forward with granting a request for the city to abandon a 20-foot access lane on the north side of the site of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 180 N.W. Carlos G. Parker Boulevard, to allow developers to put in additional parking for a new Home 2 Suites by Hilton that is slated to open there in early 2024.
“I’m happy to be presenting this item tonight because it means we are getting more development in Taylor on the north side of town,” said Assistant City Manager Tom Yantis.
This move represents an expansion of Sadya Capital LLC’s original Holiday Inn Express & Suites development that was built in 2016 on the 93.5-acre Parkway Plaza Subdivision, abutting Taylor Regional Park & Sports Complex.
“Because of the configuration of the site, that access easement is in the way, and we determined that it’s really not necessary because we already have the drive aisle in the park if we needed emergency access or anything like that to the site,” Yantis said. “And they had already also dedicated an additional access easement across the southside, so it just was redundant essentially.”
Nimesh Patel, managing partner for Sadya Capital, said this project has been in development for a long time.
“We are just happy we can be here and can continue to grow with the city,” Patel said. “I think the last time I was here was about five years ago, so obviously our hotel is there, and we are super happy to be a part of the town. We really feel like we have become part of the community and we are very thankful to everybody in town.”
Patel said the new four-story development will be an extended-stay hotel offering 92 suites with a full kitchen, including a dishwasher, fridge, as well as portable cooktop units available for checkout from the front desk. The exterior will feature a patio with a fireplace and outdoor seating, and the other side will have a pool.
“We got lucky because the new prototype for this just came out, so we actually licensed under the older product, and in August, got a new set of drawings for the new product, so it looks somewhat similar, but it has a lot of new features that I think guests will absolutely love,” Patel said. After Patel’s presentation, At-Large Councilman Dwayne Ariola expressed his enthusiasm for Patel and his team and what they have contributed to the community.
“Your current hotel has had tremendous service and is recognized all the time from all five of us,” Ariola said. “I know Mayor Pro Tem (Gerald) Anderson and Councilman (Robert) Garcia used your services during the freeze. It has been fantastic, so we appreciate it.” In addition, Mayor Brandt Rydell thanked Patel for believing in Taylor from a long time ago.
“I know there had been some efforts to try and recruit and attract a hotel such as the Holiday Inn Express for some time, and I think some of those efforts were frustrating,” Rydell said. “And you and your group came to Taylor and said you were bullish on Taylor. You believed in the trajectory of the town, and who would have thought?”
Patel responded that it was clear, well before Samsung Austin Semiconductor came onto the horizon, that Taylor’s economic future was bright.
“Taylor is unique in the towns in this area,” Patel said. “It has proximity to Austin, but it has uniqueness in being kind of out here by itself. It’s got a beautiful downtown. It’s got different spaces that people can enjoy, so I think we always felt that eventually people were going to notice what is in Taylor. So, we noticed that first, and thanks to the leadership here, you believed in us, and I think it has worked out well.“
