Press Release
May 9, 2001
Smiles abounded this past Friday at City Hall as Norfolk, Virginia Mayor Paul D. Fraim and developer, Donnell Thompson
announced a tentative agreement to move the proposed suites-style hotel to a Granby Street parking lot from the
site between Waterside and the Spirit of Norfolk berth. The hotel developer gets what is arguably the next-best
site downtown. The previous site provoked an outpouring of criticism when it was first introduced on April 9. Thompson
Hospitality LLC might get the new site -- the parking lot at the southeast corner of Granby Street and City Hall
Avenue known as Federal Square and valued in 1997 at $1.7 million -- for free, city officials said. The words “win-win”
slipped from everyone's lips. The city's Development Department recruited Thompson Hospitality to build a top notch,
suites-style hotel downtown. In Thompson, the department saw an opportunity to fill a void in the urban core's
hospitality market with an extended-stay product, and to do it with a high-profile Black investor. Attracting Black
investment to the city has become a priority for the Development Department. Although 45 percent of the city's
population is Black, there is no significant Black investment in the downtown area.
Donnell Thompson, a former defensive end for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts and a 1981 first-round draft choice
out of the University of North Carolina, has been named Chairman of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners,
Operators & Developers (NABHOOD). Along with investors in his firm, Thompson Hospitality, LLC, he has built
and operates six hotels in Georgia and the Carolinas. Investors include Eddie Murray, who played for the Baltimore
Orioles, and Kenny Lofton, an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians. Mr. Thompson’s new venture in Norfolk will
include Thomas Smith, a defense back with the Chicago Bears
Mr. Thompson and Mr. Smith along with other athletes have joined with the National Association of Black Hotel Owners,
Operators and Developers (NABHOOD) in devising a plan to bring more professional athletes into the hotel industry.
This is a industry where you can partner with some of the largest hotel companies in the world. Many athletes see
hotel ownership as an investment in which they can play a larger role once their professional athletic career is
over. Thomas Smith hopes to manage the hotels he has ownership in when he leaves the Chicago Bears. The important
factor in investing in hotels is getting the right deal and partnering with experienced hoteliers. NABHOOD will
help identify partnering opportunities with athletes and experience African American hoteliers. NABHOOD will be
conducting hotel investments seminars at special events and conferences around the country. A successful hotel
deal involves more than just buying a franchise. Join the team and become a member of the National Association
of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers.
See you at the Summit in Miami
5th Annual Multicultural Tourism/Hotel Ownership Summit and Trade Show
Sept. 5-9, 2001
Miami Beach, FL
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CONTACT:
Andy Ingraham, President NABHOOD Tel:954-792-2579 Fax:954-792-2739 horizons@gate.net