The Hotel Santa Rita project in downtown Midland is transitioning to become part of the Omni Hotels & Resorts family, rebranded as the Omni Midland Hotel. The luxury hotel, situated in the heart of downtown, will feature approximately 15,000 square feet of meeting space, a 7,000-square-foot ballroom, 135 guest rooms, a rooftop pool, a spa, and a lobby bar with an all-day dining concept. A Bob’s Steak & Chop House is planned to enhance the appeal of the development.
HEDLOC Investment Company will be part of the development partnership. According to Dan Hord, a partner at HEDLOC, the partnership “empowers us to move forward with a dynamic development plan.” He described the plan as “the right time, the right place, with the right partner."
During an interview with the Midland Times, Michael McWilliams of Midland Downtown Renaissance, the group leading the project, said, "We are excited about the Omni being a part of the West Texas landscape!” According to McWilliams, Midland will be home to 1 of 12 Texas Omni properties. “This will truly help to revitalize our downtown Midland area," he said.
At a press conference, Krista Escamilla of Escamilla Media addressed the name change from Hotel Santa Rita to Omni Midland Hotel. She explained that "Hotel Santa Rita was just the name plate that was used as we were getting ready for this project and we were looking for a partner all along."
A name plate refers to a temporary or provisional name used for branding purposes during the early stages of a project. Once a permanent partner is secured, the name plate is replaced by the final branding, which in this case became Omni Midland Hotel.
The hotel is expected to play a key role in downtown revitalization efforts, joining other major developments like the Bush Convention Center and Centennial Park.