PROFILE
The dual-brand AC Hotel and Residence Inn in Reston, Va., is part of a 4.8-million-squarefoot mixed-use development. of the extended-stay offering so that no matter if we have corporate customers coming during the week or families on weekends, we have accommodations for both,” Penny said.
Donohoe owns the hotel, and as a vertically integrated organization it’ s part of the strategy to involve all its divisions, including development, construction, management and, when possible, residential.“ Ideally, when we’ re doing any development, we like four to six divisions to work on it,” Penny said, calling its structure a competitive advantage in developing the Reston hotel.
manages 16 hotels in the area, with one exception, a Hampton Inn / Home2 dualbrand property in Las Vegas. The company is also developing a second hotel in Sin City, another dual brand in partnership with Hyatt.“ Whenever we get one hotel in a specific market, we try to double or triple down on it,” Penny said. It manages five hotels in total in Washington, D. C., and also has one hotel in Charlottesville, Va., steps from the university. It would like to expand its presence there, Penny said.
GROWTH GOALS Donohoe Hospitality ideally looks to grow in major urban markets, but not exclusively. One of its more recent projects is the dualbranded AC Hotel and Residence Inn in Reston, Va., part of a 4.8-million-square-foot mixed-use development. There are 267 rooms across the two properties spanning 16 floors, along with the full-service SEVEN Restaurant and the rooftop SYN Rooftop Bar & Lounge. There is even an indoor pool.
Reston is a major hub for technology, is about 45 minutes west of downtown D. C., and just five miles from Dulles International Airport. Penny calls it one of the most intriguing sub-markets in the region, anchored by Reston Town Center, a mixeduse urban development that opened in
2020. Case in point, stand on the rooftop of SYN and you’ ll spy the offices of the region’ s largest employers— Fortune 500 and 100 companies, the likes of Capitol One, General Dynamics and Salesforce, part of the Dulles Technology Corridor.“ You can clearly see their logos,” Penny said.
The hotel opened in January and Penny said it’ s already exceeded its expectations of where it would be.“ We understood that Reston Town Center is where you want to be,” he said, adding that the dual-brand concept accommodates different types of customer mix.“ We wanted to take advantage
CAPITALIZING ON THE CAPITAL D. C. is Donohoe’ s sandbox with the five hotels it manages there. It’ s a city dependent on the federal government running smoothly, something that hasn’ t been the norm since the new administration took the reins and began making cuts to the federal workforce. Marriott International, of which Donohoe manages eight of its branded hotels, revised its 2025 RevPAR guidance down on the back of weakened government demand. Still, Penny is bullish on the nation’ s capital, a city best known for its museums and mall, but one that continues to reinvent itself in gastronomy and entertainment.“ D. C.
Seven at the AC Hotel / Residence Inn is based on the philosophy of Robert Simon, credited with founding the community of Reston, who believed in creating spaces that nurture connection.
20 hotelsmag. com July / August 2025