Songy Highroads LLC (SHR), a leading commercial real estate firm, and joint venture partner Matthews Southwest Hospitality, a real estate development and investment division of Matthews Southwest (MSW), have been selected by the Savannah Georgia Convention Center Authority (SGCCA) to spearhead the development of a market-leading hotel at The Savannah Convention Center.
The 400-room project is poised to redefine the landscape of hospitality in the region.
“The selection of Songy Highroads and Matthews Southwest Hospitality underscores our commitment to delivering world-class amenities to our guests,” said Mark Smith, Chairman of the Savannah Georgia Convention Center Authority. “This partnership represents a major milestone in our ongoing efforts to elevate Savannah as a premier destination for conventions, tradeshows and other events hosted at the center, as well as support in a significant way, the state’s investment in the expanded convention center.”
“We are honored to collaborate with the Savannah Georgia Convention Center Authority on this transformative project,” said David Songy, Chairman of SHR. “Our vision is to create a landmark hotel that not only enhances Savannah’s hospitality offerings but also reflects the rich cultural heritage of this vibrant city.”
The partnership started in earnest in October 2023 with SHR’s appointment as the convention center hotel developer. Last week, the Georgia House of Representatives approved increasing the Authority’s bonding capacity for public bond financing.
The SGCCA Board approved the Pre-Development Services agreement on March 13, 2024. Songy Highroads is starting a one-year design, engineering and pricing period, and will assist the SGCCA with the financing for the hotel. The Authority also named Cooper Carry, the lead architect for the project.
The Savannah Convention Center is undergoing a $271 million expansion that will double the current exhibit hall space to 200,000 square feet, add a 40,000-square-foot ballroom and create 15 new meeting rooms. Once completed later this year, the center will be the 53rd-largest convention center in the country.
The SHR hotel project is a direct result of the expansion and will double the number of hotel rooms at the Savannah Convention Center.
About SHR
Songy Highroads (SHR) is a privately held real estate development and investment firm formed by longtime business partners David B. Songy, Todd W. Nocerini and Perry M. Waughtal. With more than a century of collective experience, the trio specialize in acquiring and developing institutional quality hospitality properties and other commercial real estate as well as multifamily communities through a wholly-owned subsidiary, SHR Residential. Headquartered in Atlanta, SHR has developed properties across the Southeastern United States, Louisiana, Texas and Washington, D.C. SHR has the confidence of private investors, family offices and institutional investors including The Carlyle Group, Hyatt Hotels, Elliott Capital Management, Profimex, Goldman Sachs, Sharpvue Capital, Alex Brown Realty and Walton Street Capital with lending from sources including Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, MetLife, Amegy Bank, Citizens Bank, HSBC, Ramsfield and BBVA Compass Bank. Learn more at songyhighroads.com.
About Matthews Southwest Hospitality
Matthews Southwest Hospitality, LLC (MSWH) was established in 2017 to lead the growing hospitality efforts for Matthews Southwest (MSW), a pioneer in real estate development and investment projects that transform communities. Led by President Mike Garcia, MSWH focuses its efforts on new and value-added developments, asset management and deploying MSW capital in selected hospitality opportunities. MSWH has more than 1,500 upper-upscale hotel rooms and convention center projects currently under development, valued at approximately $1.5B. For more information about our initiatives and future projects, visit https://www.matthewssouthwest.
