Harvey Hanna to open Lewes Hyatt this month

The 105-room hotel broke ground in December 2020 near the intersection of northbound Route 1 and Marsh Road, south of Five Points, and is on track to open this month | PHOTO COURTESY OF HYATT

LEWES — Harvey, Hanna & Associates will open its latest investment, the Hyatt House hotel near Lewes Five Points, this month with plans already to manage more properties under the brand.

The 105-room hotel broke ground in December 2020 near the intersection of northbound Route 1 and Marsh Road, south of Five Points. The commercial development firm’s hotel management arm TKo Hospitality will oversee operations.

“At Hyatt, we are focused on thoughtful growth, driven by where our guests, World of Hyatt members, and customers want to be. It is through our ongoing collaboration on projects with the TKO Hospitality team that we will be able to realize our vision of delivering a superior level of care for guests, colleagues and customers,” said Jim Tierney, Hyatt’s senior vice president of development and owner relations .

HHA first projected to open the Hyatt House in summer 2021, but COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the supply chain in acquiring construction materials delayed completion. The hotel includes apartment-style rooms with den guest rooms with separate living areas, kitchenettes or one-bedrooms with cooktops, full-size fridges and dishwashers.

TKo Hospitality currently manages nine hotels, including the Hyatt Place in Dewey Beach —  the first Hyatt built in the First State back in 2013 — and will also open the Hyatt Place in Kent Narrows in Maryland and will open the Hyatt Place in Newark.

The seven-story Newark hotel will boast 104 rooms on the city’s Main Street, according to the Newark Post. It is scheduled to open in 2023.

Hotel bookings have slightly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with the first eight months falling between 4.5% and 7% statewide, 2021 compared to 2019, according to the Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association. The peak was 63% occupancy in August, and the year finished with 59% occupancy.

In Sussex County, hotel occupancy peaked at 61% in October – the same as it was in 2019.

“Leisure travel has historically been durable, and has proven to be the most resilient segment throughout the pandemic recovery period,” Tierney said. “We expect demand for family vacations and bookings to rise in resort locations, and the Lewes, Dewey Beach, Del.; and Ocean City, Md.; markets are no exception.”