Hotel remodel brings a bit of Hawaii to Arizona Avenue

By Ken Sain
Employees Author

The Aloha boutique motel on Arizona Avenue in Chandler reworked many occasions on its method to a grand reopening with a Hawaiian motif.

When house owners Invoice Simmonds and John Hylton first regarded on the growing older motel that first opened in 1950, they had been considering of changing it into flats.

“We form of had deliberate to do extra like, long-term, house dwelling,” Simmonds mentioned. “That was the unique plan.”

“We purchased it in late ’19, and it appeared it might go towards flats, as a result of that’s what Invoice and I do,” Hylton mentioned.

The pandemic modified these plans.

“We thought the Airbnb could be our transfer,” Simmonds mentioned.

The Aloha is now a 26-room boutique motel that has been upgraded to fashionable requirements. Every room has its personal kitchen space and fashionable design in step with the Aloha theme.

Simmonds and Hylton mentioned since they started reopening it, they promote out most nights. On Might 7, they absolutely reopened the ultimate wing of rooms and staged an occasion that introduced out Mayor Kevin Hartke and the Chandler Chamber of Commerce.

Politics performed a task within the resolution to modify from flats to a motel, one thing the 2 pilots had by no means completed earlier than.

Simmonds mentioned the federal government issued a moratorium on evictions in the course of the early days of the pandemic. He mentioned some tenants simply refused to pay their rents in the course of the moratorium.

That left them with little urge for food for including extra flats to their portfolio. However to get the Aloha into adequate form to be a fascinating bed-and-breakfast would take a variety of work.

“It could have been simpler to tear it down, I’m positive, and rebuild, however you couldn’t construct one thing like this once more,” Hylton mentioned. “So we needed to maintain what it was. However it was every little thing from underground, by means of the partitions, it’s all new. It wasn’t straightforward.”

Simmonds and Hylton acquired into shopping for flats as a method to make investments for the long-term as pilots within the Seattle space. Simmonds, who’s older, is now retired from flying and has been a mentor for Hylton for the previous 10 years.

“I’ve at all times had a ardour for actual property,” Simmonds mentioned. “My dad was a realtor … I keep in mind going to have a look at a home with him one time, I can nonetheless odor the … wooden. The thought of proudly owning a home was intriguing.”

When Hylton and his household moved to the Valley in 2018, they determined to start searching for properties on this space. Along with the Aloha, in addition they purchased Casa Blanca, which is the same motel a number of blocks north of Aloha on Arizona Avenue. It’s also in want of refreshing.

Nevertheless,  Simmonds says they need to see how the Aloha performs over a yr earlier than they resolve what to do with Casa Blanca.

To this point, the Aloha is off to an ideal begin. If it sustains it, then they may do the same makeover for that motel.

“Our critiques have been stellar,” Hylton mentioned. “The folks driving by are grateful to see it come again to life. We bumped into a number of snags alongside the way in which, however we simply form of acquired by means of it, and we’re thrilled with it now.”