New York. Beverly Hills. Dubai. St. Augustine?
A pair of luxury hotel brands are eyeing a downtown St. Augustine location — and the proposed project could bring up to 120 rooms to the city’s historic core.
Representatives for the Waldorf Astoria and St. Regis have expressed interest in branding the planned redevelopment of the Treasury on the Plaza, project leaders have revealed.
The hotel would occupy the city’s tallest downtown building and include luxury amenities aimed at a higher-end market being sought by local tourism officials.
The property is owned by Kanti Patel, one of St. Johns County’s most prominent hotel developers.
Patel purchased the Treasury building for $10 million in 2018 through Kasam Hospitality and has spent years advancing ambitious plans to transform it.
“Because this is such a nice looking project — I think I can say this — that the owners have actually received invitations from the Waldorf Astoria and the St. Regis for the possibility of locating one of those flags on this hotel, which is quite an honor for St. Augustine,” project representative Ellen Avery Smith told the City Commission at a meeting last week.
“Those are rare hotel chains, if you will, or flags to have — particularly in a city of this size,” the attorney with the Rogers/Towers firm said. “So that is a good honor and reflects the hard work of the owners and the architecture team.”
In hotel industry terms, a “flag” refers to the brand under which a hotel operates. Securing a Waldorf Astoria or St. Regis flag would mean the property carries that luxury brand’s name, service standards and international marketing reach — a designation typically reserved for major metropolitan or resort markets.
Originally opened in 1927 as the First National Bank of St. Augustine, the Mediterranean Revival landmark now houses office space, an event venue and ground-floor retail.
Plans call for restoring the towering structure while adding restaurants, a lounge, spa amenities and expanded event space.
A 155-space parking garage would be constructed on site and wrapped by hotel rooms to shield it from street view.
City Commissioners granted initial approval for the rezoning, though a second reading and final vote are still required before the project can proceed.
The Waldorf Astoria is one of Hilton’s highest-end brands, known for landmark properties in global destinations such as New York, Beverly Hills and Dubai.
The St. Regis, part of Marriott’s luxury portfolio, is similarly upper crust. Founded on the regal legacy of the original St. Regis in New York, the brand is associated with high-end urban and resort locales worldwide.
