Sina Hospitality recently began construction on a 96-room Springhill Suites hotel next to the company’s Fairfield Inn & Suites on Airport Square Lane near Richmond International Airport. (Courtesy of Sina Hospitality)
A hotel project in Henrico County is moving forward as the operator plans further expansion south of the James River.
Sina Hospitality began construction last month on a 96-room Springhill Suites on land adjacent to the local hotel operator’s Fairfield Inn & Suites at 5252 Airport Square Lane in east Henrico.
The Springhill hotel is scheduled for completion next summer and is a response to demand from nearby Richmond International Airport and the presence of major companies in this part of Henrico, said Sina CEO Ravi Patel.
“RIC is very busy. Not only from a travel perspective, but also because of the goods that come from there and are distributed through the Richmond market,” Patel said. “You have Facebook, Pepsi, Amazon (nearby). There is a lot of demand and we feel comfortable with the market.”
The Springhill hotel is expected to cost $17 million, including construction and furnishings, Patel said. Both the upcoming Springhill and the neighboring Fairfield, operated by Sina, are Marriott-branded hotels.
Sina’s Springhill near RIC has been in the works since 2021. Patel said the project was delayed because it was difficult to secure financing for the project until recently. Ultimately, Sina secured a loan from C&F Bank to finance the project.
The general contractor on the project is Hopewell-based Harlan Construction. Louisville-based architect Edward Eiche has been hired to do the design work. Site Design Co. in Petersburg is the engineering firm on the project.
Sina Hospitality’s new Springhill Suites hotel will be built between the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 5252 Airport Square Lane and an Arby’s on Williamsburg Road. (Jack Jacobs Photo)
Sina is also continuing to pursue several other hotel projects across the river in Chesterfield.
A 95-room Townplace Suites by Marriott is planned at 101 N. Providence Road in Chesterfield. Sina was able to obtain a rezoning of the project site in late 2023. The goal is to secure financing for the project early next year, although the credit environment remains difficult, according to Patel.
“I think when it comes to building hotels, banks are still conservative,” Patel said. “Some banks are still affected by what happened during the COVID pandemic. Some banks have been hit harder than others. I think a lot of that is because of the stigma around hotels and the commercial real estate sector not recovering the way people expected.”
Ravi Patel
He said construction on a 102-room Residence Inn hotel at 5249 Commonwealth Centre Parkway in Brandermill will likely be delayed until next year because Sina is still seeking financing for the project. A 142-room TownePlace Suites hotel planned for 2011 Osborne Road in Chester is also still in the works after the project was granted a building permit late last year.
Sina is planning further hotels in Chesterfield and Patel said the county’s sports tourism industry and success in recent years in attracting new major employers such as toy manufacturer Lego and the associated business travel made Chesterfield an attractive location for Sina to expand.
“Chesterfield County has always been a great place to do business. With River City (Sportsplex) and sports tourism, that has driven demand for hotels. But they also attract a lot of larger companies,” Patel said. “We believe Chesterfield will continue to grow in a positive direction.”
Based in Chesterfield, Sina has more than 30 hotels in six states that are either in operation or planned to open.
Local hotels operated by Sina include the Springhill Suites at 12301 Redwater Creek Road in Chester, the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 150 N. Pinetta Drive in North Chesterfield, the Hampton Inn at 11909 S. Crater Road near Petersburg and the Candlewood Suites at 15820 Woods Edge Road near Colonial Heights, according to the company’s website.
