RICHMOND, Virginia—From the time Ted and Katie Ukrop bought the J.B. Mosby Dry Goods Store building in 1998, they envisioned it as a hotel.
The opportunity blossomed when the once bleak Broad Street, where the building was located, began to revitalize into what is now called The West Broad District. That’s where the Ukrops’ vision came to life in Quirk Hotel, A Destination Hotel, a boutique hotel that features original art throughout the 60,000-square-foot historic property.
“They were just waiting for the right time to get the ball rolling on the conversion,” said Kate McDonald Brown, area director of sales and marketing for Quirk Hotel.
Prior to converting to Quirk Hotel, the space operated as an art gallery named Quirk Gallery, a concept shop that showcased local and established artists. The gallery, which began operating more than 10 years ago, is still housed within the hotel and has garnered a loyal following, McDonald Brown said.
What makes Quirk unique
Since opening in September 2015, Quirk Hotel has positioned itself as a boutique property that “delivers a true, new Richmond experience,” McDonald Brown said.
“Richmond is in the middle of a renaissance, if you will, with the expansion of the Virginia Commonwealth University and the rise of countless new restaurants with unique cuisine, not to mention the growth of the art district, also located on Broad Street,” she said. “Quirk Hotel appeals to those who want to fully immerse themselves within Richmond and experience the city’s eccentric, trendy and exciting art scene.”
Another thing that makes the 74-room independent hotel unique is the building's history, which dates back to 1916. The J.B. Mosby building was designed by New York architects Starrett and Van Vleck, who also designed New York’s Lord and Taylor department store.
“(The owners) brought the building back to its original glory,” McDonald Brown said, citing the segmental arches, floor-to-ceiling windows and vault ceilings.
Lastly, the dining experience at Quirk Hotel helps the boutique stand out as a destination and not just as a hotel. The signature restaurant Maple & Pine, which is located in the lobby, serves American cuisine made from regional ingredients and features local brews on tap at the bar. Quirk also has a coffee bar that features blends from local Richmond coffee roaster Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Company.
Who stays at Quirk
The Ukrops, the owners of the hotel, have established a reputation in the city because of their philanthropy, McDonald Brown said. Many people—especially local businesses—want to see the hotel do well.
“People who live in the area stay with us on the weekends,” McDonald Brown said, which has led the hotel to create offers and packages that speak to the locals.
But McDonald Brown said she’d like to see more business from Sunday to Thursday.
“I would expect to have more business transient on the books,” she said, but the hotel is working on making sure meeting planners are aware the hotel is available.
The hotel's affiliation with Destination Hotels is also helping spread the word, McDonald Brown said.
“Destination has done a great job creating a program called Destination Delivers, where you get VIP treatment or discounted stays. At our hotel, you get a special food-and-beverage credit,” she said.
How Quirk markets itself
McDonald Brown admits that content marketing is something the hotel could do better.
“Despite the fact that this hotel has all this great history to it, what’s really hitting is the things we’re doing our blogs on,” she said.
For example, the hotel wrote a blog about wine pairings to go along with its series of wine-tasting events to be held at the restaurant. Social events, meetings and the hotel's F&B offerings are a hit with Quirk Hotels' guests, McDonald Brown said.
McDonald Brown offered three tips for capturing the guest via marketing efforts:
- Have a great public relations team in place;
- use your partners (Destination Hotels, online travel agencies, destination marketing organizations); and
- have a website that makes the booking process easy.