The Westin hotel, the linchpin of downtown Chattanooga's West Village that has spurred some $100 million in development in the area, has won a top award from Marriott International.
The Westin was picked as a hotel of the year for 2019 by the lodging company, a bright spot in 2020 in which the coronavirus has hit tourism and slowed business in the trendy downtown district.
The hotel won the citation in Marriott's "distinctive category" which includes about 690 higher-end properties in North and South America such as Le Meridian, Westin, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio and Renaissance hotels, officials said.
Richard Pauley, the Westin's director of sales and marketing, said the win is a team award.
"Everybody who works here played a part in helping win this award," he said about the 10-story, 260-room hotel at Pine Street and M.L. King Boulevard that opened in 2017.
Pauley said the development group, the DeFoor Brothers of Chattanooga, transformed the former BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee headquarters building into a gleaming hotel.
"It had a great architectural background," he said, noting the gold-mirrored building that opened 50 years ago was designed by famed Atlanta architect John Portman.
But he called Byron and Ken DeFoor visionaries who had a grand plan not just for the insurance tower but for what has become the West Village, a collection of shops, restaurants, hotels and meeting space.
"They weren't in a hurry," Pauley said, adding that the DeFoors executed a timeline "to build what this area has become."
The Defoors' initial vision was to tear down the office building and turn the site into a parking lot.
"We weren't downtown people," said Ken DeFoor in 2017 after buying the former BlueCross headquarters building in 2010. Still, they saved the iconic former "Gold Building" and eventually pushed ahead with the luxury hotel and West Village plans.
Tom Underwood, general manager of the Westin and the hotel's second employee, said every staff member contributed on a daily basis to make the Marriott recognition possible.
"There are so many amazing hotels and resorts within the Marriott family and to be recognized as one of the best is such a wonderful distinction for us," he said.
The criteria for the award included guest and event satisfaction, community involvement, year-over-year improvements, financial performance, associate engagement and promotions, officials said.
Among the 140 Westin hotels worldwide, the Chattanooga location also finished 2019 as the No. 4 hotel in the portfolio for guest satisfaction and intent to recommend, they said.
Pauley said he's looking forward to the tourism and lodging industry coming out of the pandemic that has slammed hotels worldwide.
Business at the Westin in 2020 is off about 50% compared to last year, he said.
"I'm excited to come out of the pandemic and people come back down here," Pauley said.
Erik Niel, chef and owner of Easy Bistro & Bar at 801 Chestnut St., cited "the COVID-related slow down" that has hurt restaurants and other businesses.
"We're enjoying being in the West Village," he said about the restaurant that moved to the area earlier this year after 15 years near the Tennessee Aquarium. "The way it evolved, we're happy to be a part of it."
Niel said he's expecting January and February to be slow months and trying to get through the next 90 days and into the spring.
Peter Kartanos, general manager at the Indigo Hotel that opened at Chestnut and Sixth streets a few months ago, said they're trying to navigate a new property through the challenging environment.
"It takes time to gain traction," he said. "We're doing what we can to put a good product on the market on a consistent basis."
Guests have ranked the hotel 7th among 66 Indigos countrywide and No. 1 in housekeeping, Kartanos said.
"In a COVID environment, guests are hyper-focused on sanitation," he said.
He's hopeful the coronavirus vaccine will have "a tremendous impact" and help more people feel comfortable traveling again.
Pauley said he's expecting a slow first quarter and then "that's when we'll start seeing things loosen up."
He said that a provision to help the tourism industry ought to be part of any new coronavirus aid package passed by Congress.
"One of the hardest hit industries was the tourist industry," Pauley said.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.