$70M Camino Real Hotel Renovation Plan Announced

City officials have unveiled a plan to renovate the historic Hotel Paso del Norte in Downtown El Paso. The City is formalizing an agreement with Meyers Group of Florida and Two Sabes LLC of El Paso to perform the renovation.

Plans are underway to renovate the historic Hotel Paso del Norte in Downtown El Paso, currently operating as a Camino Real Hotel. (Camino Real El Paso)

In a joint effort, the two developers will embark on a $70 million project to turn the hotel, currently operating under the Camino Real brand, into the premier Downtown convention hotel. The developers will receive City, County, and State incentives if the deal is approved.

The original hotel was designed by renowned architect Henry Trost. It was constructed at a cost of $1 million and opened in 1912.

“Since opening in 1912, the Hotel Paso del Norte has served as an iconic landmark welcoming visitors to Downtown El Paso,” said Josh Meyers, Vice President of the Meyers Group, in a press release.

"We are humbled to help this city reclaim its place as the premier city in the American Southwest by breathing new life into this architectural treasure."

The Hotel Paso Del Norte in Downtown El Paso, circa 1970. A tower was added in the mid '80s when it operated as a Westin Hotel. (Historic American Buildings Survey)

A tower was added when the hotel operated as a Westin Hotel and currently has 359 rooms, making it the largest in the Downtown area.

Meyers Group also has plans to develop a 22-story mixed use tower in West El Paso, while Two Sabes is headed by the same developer behind the Montecillo smart growth development.

(Related: City Postpones Vote on West Side Tower)

“While this project signifies the importance of El Paso’s rich history, it also signifies the optimism we all feel about El Paso’s future,” Meyers said.

“Significant Downtown investments — both public and private — have created an environment in which projects like this one make good business sense for investors and developers.”

The developers are buying the hotel from a Mexican hotel group as part of the redevelopment plans.

Grupo Empresarial Angeles of Mexico has been the reported owner of the hotel since taking over in 2004 and renaming it the Camino Real Hotel. It is valued at just over $7 million for taxing purposes.

The Hotel Paso del Norte is located at 101 South El Paso Street, across Santa Fe Street from the El Paso Convention Center.

The agreement should be finalized in the coming months with construction starting soon.