It's a good thing the city didn't allow the fifth and sixth floors to be built as part of the new Four Points by Sheraton in Columbus, OH. Planes from the nearby airport seem close enough to touch from the top of the four-story, 110-room hotel.

The Port Columbus (OH) airport is what first brought Dan Shah and the VJP Hospitality ownership team to this site two years ago. After successfully owning and operating four economy and midscale brands in the Columbus area, they wanted to take the next step and develop an upscale property.

On Aug. 6, the dream became a reality when two years of work and $12 million culminated in the opening of the Four Points by Sheraton Columbus-Airport. Six weeks later, on Sept. 18, Victor Shah (CFO), Jay Patel (president) and Paul Patel (CEO), the principals of VJP, and Dan, Victor's son, are at the hotel dressed in their best suits, looking like proud papas minus the celebratory cigars.

THEY'RE MINGLING IN THE STUNNING LOBBY OF THEIR BRAND NEW HOTEL during the grand-opening celebration. Guests and employees of the hotel, prospective clients, a representative from the mayor's office, representatives of Columbus' convention and visitors bureau, the president of the construction company that built the hotel, the Starwood representative who put the deal together and friends and family are here to celebrate the achievement.

Victor and Paul, neighbors, friends and former convenience-store owners, started down this path 13 years ago with Jay, Paul's brother-in-law and a cardiologist in New Jersey. The trio began with a Best Western and now has a portfolio of five hotels, including this flagship property. Dan joined the company in 1996 after graduating from Ohio State and now leads Darpan Management, the company's operations arm.

“It's a victory for these three guys,” Dan says of VJP during a short presentation in the lobby before the steady hands of the doctor cut the ceremonial red ribbon. “It's our first upscale project and we came through it without any major hiccups. We didn't know if we could do it. And we did it.”

Their only other new construction was a $4-million Country Inn and Suites in 2000. Yet they put this deal together like old pros, finding a lucrative location; securing the financing with Peoples Bancorp of Marietta, OH; striking a deal with Jamey Cua, a senior director of development for Starwood; and employing the right construction company, Miles-McClellan. They got the doors open 53 weeks after breaking ground, a couple weeks after their target date, but a full month ahead of Starwood's. “And pretty close to on budget, too,” Dan adds. They had plenty of help along the way, from architect Dave Pontia; to construction project foreman Scott Joslin and his wife, Karen, a design consultant and liaison to IA | Interior Architects, the firm out of Denver handling the design package; to purchasing company Benjamin West; all the way to White Plains, NY, and the team from Starwood.

Today the hotel is aglow; more than 100 people have come together to share in the moment, not to mention the drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The lobby is what Victor points to as his favorite spot. Striking wood floors, pillars and built-in shelves combine with a stone fireplace for a warm and rustic feeling, while bright and bold artwork adorning the walls above adds a burst of vibrancy. Blue, green and beige furniture provides soft and soothing options to relax throughout the open lobby and shared bar and dining area.

Some partygoers meander down one hall to check out the spacious fitness room and indoor pool. The rooms are connected by floor-to-ceiling glass windows and painted with contrasting horizontal light and dark stripes of blue. The pool deck has an outdoor feel with huge glass windows offering more than a glimpse of the sun. The other hallway leads to three meeting rooms, the largest is decked out with notepads, flowers and snacks, completely set up to show clients how the space can be used.

Guestrooms are available for tours on the fourth floor. The doors are open to a double, king and suite room, all featuring a spacious work area, 32-inch flat-screen TV, the brand's signature Four Points Comfort bed and a neutral palette of colors with splashes of brighter blue and green accents.

It's all a part of Four Points' new prototype, which debuted earlier this year in San Antonio. This is the second new construction project to open and first with the New Homestead design package, which features a warm feel with more wood than in the urban City View option or the Gateway Lifestyle resort look. Starwood has invested more than $1 billion into reinvigorating this brand. The new look and direction is a major reason why VJP chose Four Points over IHG's Hotel Indigo or Hyatt Place.

Back in the lobby, as the crowd begins to dissipate, the ownership team relaxes with drinks and their family, perhaps sharing stories of this project or looking ahead to the next one.

When will depend on the economy and how long this hotel takes to ramp up. Victor says he would love to do another Four Points and thinks maybe sometime next year. Paul says it depends on when the credit markets thaw, but Dan says he may have some news in a couple months. The group wants to keep climbing the ladder, shifting the makeup of its portfolio to the upper-end of the industry.

That's good news for Starwood, which has been equally impressed and enthused with the partnership. “At Starwood, we are focused on developing the right properties in the right places with the right partners,” says Paul Sacco, senior vice president of development for Starwood in North America. “The Four Points by Sheraton Columbus-Airport exemplifies this strategy on all points.

“Our partners at VJP Hospitality and Darpan Management have built an exceptional hotel in a key area that is an ideal showcase for the new direction of the Four Points by Sheraton brand.”

ANATOMY OF DEVELOPMENT

Lodging Hospitality's five-part series on the Four Points by Sheraton Columbus-Airport concludes with a look back at how the hotel came to be and its grand-opening celebration last month.

This issue - Grand Opening

January - Introducing the Project

Mar. 15 - Making the Deal

June - Branding & Management

August - Architecture & Design