JWU sells Warwick Radisson Hotel property to Fla. company for $7.5M

JOHNSON & WALES Univesity sold the property at 2081 Post Road, Warwick, which is the site of the Radisson Hotel Providence Airport and a Legal Sea Foods, to Pinnacle Hotel Management for $7.5 million. The university also transferred ownership and management of the hotel to Pinnacle. / COURTESY RADISSON
JOHNSON & WALES Univesity sold the property at 2081 Post Road, Warwick, which is the site of the Radisson Hotel Providence Airport and a Legal Sea Foods, to Pinnacle Hotel Management for $7.5 million. The university also transferred ownership and management of the hotel to Pinnacle. / COURTESY RADISSON

PROVIDENCE – The Radisson hotel property it owns at 2081 Post Road in Warwick has been sold to Florida-based Pinnacle Hotel Management for $7.5 million, Johnson & Wales University announced Wednesday.

The purchase and sales agreement also includes the land that Legal Sea Foods occupies next to the hotel.

The transfer of ownership and management of the property occurred March 1. JWU puchased the property, then known as the Yankee Motor Inn, in 1978 and renamed it the Rhode Island Inn – Johnson & Wales Center. The property has operated as a Radisson hotel since 1994.

“Since we first purchased the Warwick-based hotel, the university has been able to greatly expand the experiential education offerings available to our students which have resulted in many career and employment opportunities for them,” said JWU vice president of auxiliary services Michael Downing, who also has been serving as interim general manager of the Radisson Hotel Providence Airport in a statement. “After thorough review and consideration, we determined that divestment of the property was in the best interest of the university to support our mission to provide an exceptional education for our students.”

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This is Pinnacle Hotel Management’s only operation in Rhode Island, although the company previously owned and managed a Residence Inn in Warwick that it sold in 2017. The company operates 35 hotels nationwide, primarily in Florida.

“Pinnacle Hotel Management is delighted to be back in the Warwick market,” said Pinnacle Director of Portfolio Management Doug Duba. “We look forward to anchoring the Warwick City Centre and contributing to the redevelopment in the area.”

Pinnacle Hotel Management was granted approval from the Raddison Hotel’s parent company to continue the operation as a Raddison property. The company will honor all of the hotel’s existing contacts, including pricing for upcoming events.

“On behalf of the university, we would like to express our deep appreciation to the hotel staff for their commitment and dedication to providing an excellent and memorable guest experience,” added Downing. “During their years of service, the hotel staff also prepared our students for careers in culinary, hospitality and business.”

JWU sold the Johnson & Wales Inn in Seekonk in 2013 after owning it for roughly 30 years, citing at the time the changing needs of students for internship opportunities. It was renamed the Hilltop Hotel & Conference Center upon completion of the sale.

Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.

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