Development firm Gateway Jax will restore the Ambassador Hotel with the partnership of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group. Gateway Jax, made up of DLP Capital and JWB Real Estate Capital, manages a private equity fund focused exclusively on Downtown Jacksonville development.

Gateway Jax plans to redevelop the 100-year-old hotel into a minimum of 100-key concept with a restaurant and bar, conference space and other amenities. The Ambassador Hotel site will be integrated into Gateway Jax’s inaugural project, Pearl Square. The eight-block, multi-use development will also include 1,250 new residential units and approximately 200,000 square feet of grocery-anchored retail space, with abundant outdoor dining opportunities. The project’s first building, located at 515 Pearl Street, broke ground in October 2024 and is on track to deliver in 2026. Several other projects within Pearl Square will begin construction in 2025.

Gateway Jax is expected to invest over $2 billion into the Pearl Square development.

Gateway Jax received the go-ahead on the first of five blocks for its $419 million Pearl Street District development, which promises 1,000 residential units and thousands of square feet of retail . The city approved a permit for the first phase, called Block 11. Avant Construction is building the $45 million project, which will include 205 residential units and 24,086 square feet of retail in a seven-story building. The Gateway Jax developers are a joint venture between JWB Real Estate and DLP Capital.

The Downtown Development Review Board approved future plans which includes a 22-story, mixed-use building with about 530 units, 400 of them being multifamily and 140 as short-term stays. The ground and second floors will house about 62,000 square feet of retail space, while the rest of the second and third floor will be parking.

The Jacksonville City Council approved a $98.58 million incentive package for the district.

Construction on Airabella Lake Oconee, a 137-acre mixed-use project east of Atlanta, is set to begin this summer. Choice Gateway is developing the project. The developers hope to complete all aspects of the project by 2026.

Plans call for a boutique Marriott hotel, restaurants, a brewery, office space and a retail section called Village at Airabella. Stand-alone homes and townhomes will also be included. Additional features will include greenspaces, a wedding venue, and a new nine-hole golf course.

The lodging component, Hotel Airabella, will feature a spa and amenities described as premium.

Choice Gateway says it is a commercial real estate development company focused on transforming underutilized urban locations into high-profile, multi-use facilities. As a portfolio developer, Choice Gateway selectively pursues developments that achieve significant positive community impact and that create lasting value.