New Hyatt House in D.C. showcases Black ownership

When tourists come to the nation’s capital for a visit, Evens Charles, founder and CEO of Frontier Development & Hospitality Group LLC, wants visitors to consider his latest acquisition, the Hyatt Hotel Washington DC Downtown Convention Center (Hyatt House) located in Shaw.

Charles speaks with pride about his new 184-room project just steps north of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest D.C. and a few blocks south of such Black iconic landmarks as the Carter G. Woodson Home and the legendary Shiloh Baptist Church.

“This is my first hotel in D.C.,” Charles told The Informer. “This is the 11th hotel in my hospitality group. I am a native of D.C. and the people who manage this hotel are all natives of D.C. and are all Black men.”

Frontier Development & Hospitality owns hotels in such places as nearby Largo, Maryland and close to the BWI Airport in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and further out in Nashville, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia and Columbus, Ohio. The company owns hotels from various brands such as Homewood Suites, Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn and Embassy Suites.

The acquisition of this new project for Charles comes as the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, and Developers (NABHOOD) report that less than 2% of hotels and motels in the U.S. are owned by African Americans, despite that Black travelers contribute billions annually to the travel and hospitality industry. NABHOOD reveals that the inability to access funding and resources is a major challenge for Black entrepreneurs seeking to become hoteliers.

“Owning a hotel looks sexy, but there is a lot of risk,” said Charles. “It is a 24-hour a day business and every day is different. But it can be a great venture, such as this one, if the hotel is in a prime spot.”

The Offerings of Hyatt House

The new Hyatt Hotel House features apartment-style suites with full kitchens and separate living areas. There is a 24-house fitness center on the premises that is open seven days a week and lodgers have access to a complimentary breakfast bar, a lobby bar, a business center with a computer and collaborative communal spaces.

Adjacent to the Hyatt House but is a separate operation will be the “REALM,” an all-weather rooftop bar and lounge. Scheduled to open in the fall, REALM will have 157 seats and panoramic views of the District’s skyline that includes the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument.

While Frontier Development & Hospitality owns the Hyatt Hotel, Donohoe Hospitality Services manages the facility on a daily basis. 

“Donohoe is a third-party operator,” said Thomas Penny III, president of the hospitality services company. “The entire team at the Hyatt House works for us.”

Penny said he met Charles a decade ago and had the chance to visit his property located in Martinsville, Virginia. He said he was impressed with Charles’ drive and vision and stayed in touch with him through the years.

Further, Penny speaks highly of the Hyatt House general manager Donte Hickman.

“I met Donte when he was a teenager,” Penny said. “I was working with his aunt, and she brought him to work with her. He was 13. I was impressed with his interest in the hotel business.”

The Donahoe president said he stayed connected with Hickman, who was a Shaw resident and an eventual graduate from Benjamin Banneker High School in Northwest. Now employed by Donahoe, Hickman came back from Atlanta to his hometown to work for the Hyatt House.

“He is a rock-solid human being,” Penny told The Informer.

Charles and His Entrepreneurial Vision

Opening the Hyatt House was not another business transaction for Charles, but one of personal achievements.

“D.C. raised me. Now I’m raising the city back,” said Charles. “This project reflects our commitment to investing in communities that embody culture, creativity, and forward momentum.”

Charles was born in the District’s Columbia Heights neighborhood and raised in Petworth in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended Archbishop Carroll High School in Northeast and participated in the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program and played sports and engaged in other activities at the Metropolitan Boys & Girls Clubs.

“I went to work at 14,” said Charles. “I also played sports. I learned at an early age about responsibility. I did not have a lot of role models to look at, but I chose to take advantage of opportunities available to me.”

After graduating from Carroll, Charles played football at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He went to the work world after college and has spent 20 years in the real estate field and 10 years in hospitality.

Charles said his next project will also be in the city.

“I am going to develop a site right across from RFK Stadium in the Hill East neighborhood,” he said. “The project will contain a hotel, residential units, and a community park close to the new Commanders stadium. Think of it, a hotel located across the street from the stadium. I am working with the Ward 7 community on this project.”

Charles, a resident of Northwest, said his ventures are not about making money.

“This isn’t just about business,” he said. “It’s about ownership, visibility, and leaving something for the next generation — including my daughter — that reflects the best of where we come from.”

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