Spartanburg developer named Hilton Developer of the Year

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OTO Development has been named Hilton Developer of the Year in the “focused service” category. It’s the second consecutive year that the Spartanburg-based company won the award.

OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, earned this national recognition for a Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton in Santa Monica, Calif., – a city that hadn't seen a new select-service hotel in nearly 30 years, according to a news release from OTO Development. The company says the difficulty in bringing a new hotel to the city was part of the reason for the award.

"Our niche is developing well-designed hotels in difficult-to-build but highly desirable locations," Corry Oakes, president and CEO of OTO Development, said in the news release. Oakes said that while all construction projects have challenges, core urban markets present inherent obstacles. "Some jurisdictions make the process longer and more difficult, but our strategy is all about taking a pragmatic – and patient – approach to real estate, design, entitlement and construction."

The award was announced at the NYU International Hospitality Conference.