Center City Hyatt taps new GM to lead multimillion-dollar renovations

The Hyatt at the Bellevue has tapped a Hyatt veteran as its new general manager, who will oversee the property's multimillion-dollar renovation.

Twenty-year Hyatt veteran Pina Purpero will be the new GM of the Avenue of the Arts hotel after her most recent position as the food-and-beverage director at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Texas.

Pina Purpero will be the new general manager of the Hyatt at the Bellevue.

At the Hyatt at the Bellevue — the only property affiliated with Hyatt in the Center City market — Purpero will be charged with managing all aspects of the hotel, including its day-to-day operations and its multimillion-dollar renovation.

This spring, the hotel is set to unveil its renovations, which include an update to its guest rooms and a number of its public spaces.

The redesign, led by Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design, will be a "modern interpretation of classic Philadelphia that explores the rich political, artistic, theatrical and musical history of the city."

The guest rooms will be given a contemporary spin on 18th century furnishings, and following the trend of properties incorporating local touches, the rooms will feature art from local painters and photographers,

Taking inspiration from the Avenue of the Arts, the designers collaborated with arts-and-cultural organizations in the area, including the opera, theater and ballet.

The 172 guest rooms and suites will have an "earthy palette with pops of color."

Each floor's design will be themed around set or costume design sketches from archives from the Opera Philadelphia, Walnut Street Theater and Pennsylvania Ballet. Guests will see the sketches in the hallways.

The Hyatt opened in 1904 as the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel and joined the Hyatt brand in 1996. It joins a number of other hotels that have either undergone or are amid renovations, including the Ritz-Carlton, which changed ownership last year.

The growing number of new hotels coming online or are in planning and construction stages could be a catalyst for older hotels undergoing renovations in order to compete with contemporary consumers' demands and expectations.

It's not unlike Philadelphia and Atlantic City casinos injecting millions of dollars into their properties and adding nongaming amenities in order to stay in the game amid growing competition.

Purpero's new role as the Hyatt at the Bellevue's new GM brings her back to Philadelphia, where she previously served as the food-and-beverage director at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn's Landing from 2006 to 2008. That hotel has since been rebranded as a Hilton property.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal