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<p>A 178-room hotel on Portland’s eastern waterfront, the AC Hotel by Marriott, has been acquired by a Virginia real estate investment trust for $66.8 million.</p>
<p>In a news release late Monday, Apple Hospitality REIT Inc. (NYSE: APL) said it had acquired the hotel, an upscale, European-style property “with no unwanted extras,” according to its website.</p>
<p>The hotel was built in 2018 at 158 Fore St., facing another hotel under the Marriott International brand, the 179-room Residence Inn. Apple purchased the Residence Inn four years ago for $55.8 million.</p>
<p>The trust also said it plans to acquire the 157-room Aloft Hotel, also a Marriott-flagged property, in the third quarter this year. The Aloft is expected to open in September on the other end of the city’s waterfront, at 379 Commercial St.</p>
<p>Apple, headquartered in Richmond, Va., did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Mainebiz about the recent and future transactions. But Apple’s president of real estate and investments, Nelson Knight, said in the release, “The three hotels will be operated by the same management company which, combined with our exceptional asset management, will create additional operational synergies.”</p>
<p>With the addition of the AC Hotel, Apple’s portfolio consists of 213 hotels with approximately 27,800 guest rooms located in 84 markets throughout 35 states.</p>
<p>The Residence Inn and AC Hotel were both previously owned by Norwich Partners, a Florida-based commercial real estate developer and investor. The Aloft is currently owned by Norwich.</p><div class='mailmunch-forms-in-post-middle' style='display: none !important;'></div>
<p>The opening of the Aloft will be the latest in a string of hotel launches in Portland, which currently is one of the <a href=)
most expensive hotel markets in New England. With the opening, over 3,400 hotel rooms will be available in the city itself.
Norwich CEO David Leatherwood told Mainebiz at the time that “Portland is going to have a booming summer.” He described the Aloft as a “hipper, younger version of the AC.” While both are Marriott-owned brands, Aloft targets young families and millennials as a “very high-tech forward.”
Photo / William Hall
Apple Hospitality REIT purchased the AC Hotel in Portland for $66.8 million.
