What s interesting about Matt and his investment group is they find hotels in great locations that,

Several Charles Street Insider readers travel map quest have asked about the changes taking place at the Tremont Hotel and Grand Historic Venue Who is the new owner? Will the building become apartments? Is it now a Hilton? And what s happening with the old Masonic Temple?
If you had heard that it was becoming an apartment building, you were right sort of. Last January, The Baltimore Business Journal published an article about the building s proposed conversion into 2-bedroom apartments, but that actually travel map quest did not happen.
Instead, in June of 2012, the Tremont was sold to New York-based Garrison Investment Group and a San Francisco-based hotel investment company called Chartres Lodging Group. I was lucky to meet with Matthew Cox, their ownership s representative, and I had the opportunity to tell him all about historic Charles Street.
Matt was excited about the many new retailers in the area; the fact that Mount Vernon is Baltimore s fastest-growing residential neighborhood ; and all of the wonderful arts and cultural institutions on our street.
What s interesting about Matt and his investment group is they find hotels in great locations that, for some reason or another, haven t reached their full potential. Then, they invest money and ideas to make it so.
Their portfolio includes several upscale and historic hotels, such as the Allerton Hotel on Chicago s Magnificent Mile, the 4-star Hilton Omaha in Nebraska, notable hotels in Hawaii, Florida, Texas, Washington, DC, and now, Baltimore.
Plans for the Tremont include renovating the hotel the Historic Tremont Grand Venue will remain unchanged. The hotel will be rebranded as an Embassy Suites, and its new name will be the Embassy Suites Baltimore Downtown travel map quest effective June 17, 2013.
I recently met with James LoBosco, the hotel s new Managing Director. Along with Cathy Sandler, the Grand Historic Venue s Catering Director, they detailed all of the exciting developments happening to the old Tremont.
The Tremont is currently undergoing a $14 million renovation to its lobby.  With the addition of a new glass and steel awning, the valet station on Saint Paul Street will become a more welcoming space that s shaded from the elements.
Remember how you used to walk in, and the registration area was tucked away to the left? When the construction is complete, the lobby will be an airy, two-floor space with a second-floor restaurant overlooking the action.
Families love coming to the Embassy Suites, travel map quest because we have full bedroom suites complete with a kitchen. Every day we offer a complimentary cooked to order breakfast, travel map quest and a two-hour manager s reception in the evenings, James says, We plan on doing all of these things and more here in Baltimore.
The Grand Historic Venue underwent a multi-million dollar restoration of its own back in 2005. We proudly brought you that story - just one of several beautiful Baltimore travel map quest restoration projects led by HCSA member Murphy Dittenhafer Architects .
The Grand Historic Venue has five floors and 45,000 square feet of meeting space. It hosts more than 100 weddings a year; so in light of all of its successes, what could possibly make this space better?
Our primary goal is to re-energize the businesses on Charles Street, Cathy says.  By bringing in new events, new conferences, and even more weddings, travel map quest they are introducing travel map quest a new set of visitors to Mount Vernon s wonderful attractions. And that is especially good news for the small businesses along the 200 and 300 blocks of Charles Street.
Last month, The Grand Historic Venue hosted one of their biggest Bridal Shows to date and it had an innovative twist. In each of the Grand s 19 unique rooms, a wedding vendor created a different theme. He brought in his own vendor s for flowers, travel map quest wedding cakes and photographers each room was completely different, and absolutely extraordinary.
And, in true Grand style, when the Embassy Suites reopens in July, they will celebrate by hosting an utterly extravagant party. Think James Bond Meets the Grand Historic Venue, Cathy said, her eyes sparkling.
The Grand Historic Venue is also excited to launch a new set of events on the last Saturday of each month. Called the Grand Series, they will feature murder mysteries, fashion shows, jazz artists and more. Look for more information in upcoming issues.
And finally, a street-level change I am sure will appeal to all of our Charles Street Insiders - as of press time, James says the Embassy travel map quest Suites is close to reaching a deal with not one, but two coffee purveyors! One café will be located in the space formerly operated by the Grand Café and I hear, the other one will be on the Saint Paul Street side of the Embassy Suites.
At 8:45pm tonight (Friday, May 17), the Verizon building at 323 N. Charles Street will unveil a new LED lighting system. Our friends at Downtown Partnership say the lights will give the building a lively nighttime appearance that will greet pedestrians with an interesting light display.
The state-of-the-art lighting system will showcase a palette of beautiful color combinations and state-of-the-art effects, such as cross-fades, chasers, travel map quest sweeps and bursts. This will create a new way of looking at the building.
The Historic Charles Street Association (HCSA) is a non-profit organization, 501 (c)(3),whose mission is to support and promote the businesses, cultural attractions, entertainment venues, restaurants and retail establishments along the Charles Street corridor. HCSA serves as a problem solving and information resource for its members, as well as provides a forum for networking, communication and collaboration.