Bill Weyland has been named a finalist for the Legacy Leader category of Louisville Business First’s 2020 Business Awards.

The Legacy Leader Award recognizes an individual who has successfully completed a succession plan, exit plan or transfer of leadership. This individual demonstrates sustained success, leadership and innovation in his or her family business, the U of L FBC, and to the community at large.

See Louisville Business First’s list of finalists here.

Louisville-based Weyland Ventures LLC and hotel partner First Hospitality have officially broken ground on a six-story Tempo By Hilton hotel at 710 E. Jefferson St. that should be ready for guests by the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

And Hilton officials confirmed Wednesday that it will be the first Tempo hotel to open in the world.

The hotel, named Tempo by Hilton Louisville NuLu, will house 130 rooms and a rooftop bar, among other amenities. Phil Cordell, global head of new brand development for Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., said he feels the NuLu area has the “perfect combination” of retail, restaurants and other commercial activity that made it a strong landing spot for the first Tempo Hotel.

But it also helped that First Hospitality was involved. Cordell said Hilton called on franchise partners early on to provide their thoughts and input on how the Tempo brand should be developed, and First Hospitality was engaged in those talks early.

“It gave them the … shot to be the first to develop with us,” Cordell said.

The Tempo brand is targeting a younger demographic and is focused on wellness and experiences. Tempo’s guest rooms have designated areas for guests to work, recharge and get ready for the day. And Tempo by Hilton properties will feature shared guest spaces and food and beverage concepts designed in conjunction with culinary firm Blau + Associates. Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global is another brand partner, offering customized morning and bedtime rituals at Tempo properties.

Cordell said the rooftop bar will stand out in the Louisville market for its Latin-inspired concept that will bring some new ideas to the city while pairing those concepts with bourbon cocktails to give it the Louisville flavor.

Other Tempo hotels will break ground later this year in locations like New York, Maui, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Cordell said Hilton has 40 committed Tempo projects and another 30 in the works.

The groundbreaking came after we reported on Saturday that the Tempo hotel will anchor a larger NuLu development called NuLu Yard. The project also will include a large parking garage, a 190-unit apartment complex and a 70,000-square-foot commercial complex housing a food hall on the first floor, a large fitness center and 30,000 square feet of co-working space. Construction costs have not been disclosed by Weyland Ventures.

Louisville-based Donhoff Kargl Nall Architects is the architect for the hotel while K2M Design is the interior design firm. Several engineering groups are also working on the proposal.

Mayor Greg Fischer praised the development team involved, noting past ventures in the city by Weyland Ventures, Hilton and First Hospitality as a good sign for this development.

“This project is going to be a home run success here,” Fischer said.

Mariah Gratz, CEO of Weyland Ventures, said this project is the culmination of years of work to revive this area and connect NuLu with the downtown medical district.

Weyland Ventures has been highly active in the NuLu neighborhood over the years, particularly when it comes to mixed-income housing. Its residential developments there have included Quad Apartments, Park Edge, City Homes on Hancock Green and 310 at NuLu. The firm also opened the five-story, 100-room Home2 Suites by Hilton Louisville in the NuLu/medical district area.

Likewise, the company has experience with mixed-use developments that include hospitality and food and beverage components. It recently opened Hancock House, a 16-unit micro-boutique hotel in the former Louisville Chemical building at 601 E. Jefferson St.

Weyland Ventures also has partnered with former nightclub owner and Louisville native Scott Smith to create ChurchKey, a themed restaurant, sports bar and event venue concept in NuLu that will be spread across more than 20,000 square feet and a roughly 4,000-square-foot outdoor courtyard in a former NuLu Church at 600 E. Market St. That project is expected to open later this year.

See Louisville Business First’s article here.

Louisville real estate development firm Weyland Ventures LLC has partnered with Illinois-based hospitality and hotel management firm First Hospitality to bring the Tempo by Hilton brand to a site at 314 S. Shelby Street near East Jefferson Street in NuLu. The six-story hotel will have 130 rooms, a large lounge with a bar and a rooftop bar, said Mariah Gratz, CEO of Weyland Ventures, during an exclusive interview with Louisville Business First.

Read more about this development here.

The former Louisville Chemical Co. building at the corner of Hancock and Jefferson streets in NuLu has undergone a radical transformation at the hands of Louisville’s Weyland Ventures.

The family-owned real estate firm on Monday offered a tour of its newly opened Hancock House, a 16-unit “micro-boutique” hotel. The new concept offers services that blends the feel of an Airbnb unit with some of the comforts of a hotel that is already appealing to a mix of tourists, extended-stay guests and locals itching for a staycation.

Hancock House stands at nearly 20,000 square feet across three floors and a basement and includes 4,000 square feet of first-floor retail space, said Ashlyn Ackerman, a graduate architect with Weyland Ventures. She handled much of the interior and schematic design inside the building, which dates to the 1880s. It originally was home to Herman Schroeder’s Grocery on the first floor with a boarding house on the second floor.

Weyland Ventures purchased the property in 2016 and spent about $1 million mitigating the chemical vapors and other environmental issues from the building, she said. That included stripping original items such as windows and trim, which were replicated during the renovation.

Some original cast-iron fireplace surrounds were saved and have been incorporated into the suites. The building also was expanded to allow for more units.

Construction took about two years to complete but costs were not disclosed. Louisville-based Bosse Construction Inc. was the general contractor while Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp, Chovan, Inc. — now Arrasmith, a Schmidt Associates Co. — was the architect.

Weyland Ventures also worked with Louisville Engineering Co. and local interior design firm ID+A on the project. First Hospitality Group manages Hancock House.

Ackerman said Weyland Ventures incorporated elements of the original grocery store and the boarding house feel into the design of the first-floor lobby area and the individual studio and one-bedroom suites, which vary between 400 and 500 square feet.

Each room is equipped with either a king- or queen-sized bed and a living room area with furniture, a pull-out couch and a large television. Each unit also has a kitchen with full-sized appliances and cookware. You can see the rooms for yourself in the attached photo gallery.

Rates vary, but a studio queen was available for $99 a night while the one-bedroom king was listed at $187 per night on the Hancock House website Monday.

Dustin Stutzman, director of sales for Hancock House, said the facility is offering introductory rates and discounted rates for those who book extended stays. Hancock House also is open to those who want to rent out the entire space for a large group.

“You can move in for one night or move in for two months if you want,” Ackerman said.

Stutzman said he has been pleased with the mix of local and tourist traffic the complex has attracted since its soft opening in early February. Guests receive a digital code that gets them access to the building and rooms.

“You’re on your own, which a lot of people like,” Stutzman said. “We don’t have a front desk. You don’t have to check in at the front desk.”

This freedom, he said, allows guests to “own the experience.”

More activity is coming, as the Seafood Lady is relocating its restaurant into the Hancock House in about 2,200 square feet of existing retail space. Ackerman said the restaurant should be open this spring before the Kentucky Derby.

Another 1,800 square feet of retail space remains, and she said the firm hopes to attract a coffee shop or a speakeasy-type bar into the building.

Weyland Ventures has been highly active in the NuLu neighborhood over the years, particularly when it comes to mixed-income housing. Its residential developments there have included Quad Apartments, Park Edge, City Homes on Hancock Green and 310 at NuLu, which is located across the street from Hancock House. The firm also opened the five-story, 100-room Home2 Suites by Hilton Louisville in the NuLu/medical district area.

Weyland Ventures also has partnered with former nightclub owner and Louisville native Scott Smith to create ChurchKey, a themed restaurant, sports bar and event venue concept in NuLu that will be spread across more than 20,000 square feet and a roughly 4,000-square-foot outdoor courtyard in a former NuLu Church at 600 E. Market St. That project should be ready by Labor Day.

See more images of Hancock House here.

Join Louisville Business First on February 22th, at 9:30 am, for this one-of-a-kind event that brings together women in a virtual coaching atmosphere.

Mariah Gratz will be a part of this event as a mentor.

Find event details here.