Barry Patel continues to make moves within the Valley hotel industry. The Marriot he plans to develop on the Island would be even bigger than the Embassy Suites he just opened on Wednesday in McAllen. Patel said the Marriot would be complete with 250 rooms and a ballroom that would hold up to 2,000 people.
“We are continuing our growth with an even bigger hotel on South Padre Island,” Patel said. He said the only thing holding up the project is approval of the building permits from the city. Patel, mayor of South Padre Island, also owns the Hilton Gardens and La Quinta hotels on the Island. Patel has also developed and sold many of the La Copa hotels in the Valley.
The Embassy Suites is a 150-room, full-service hotel. He said it the first-full service hotel that has been built in the Valley in the past 20 years or more. It’s a six-story hotel built with a $20 million price tag and paid for without any taxpayer incentives, he said.
Patel said the ribbon-cutting was exciting. McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, the Valley Partnership and McAllen Chamber were also at the ribbon-cutting. “It’s exciting to see all those individuals,” Patel said.