Home2 Suites by Hilton is among the 18 brands in the Hilton hotel chain. Owners of the more than 500 Home2 Suites by Hilton locations around the world operate under franchise agreements. Each extended stay property includes an open lobby area, swimming pools, outdoor space, and fitness facilities.
Watchdog was engaged by a private developer to manage the construction of a new 113-room Home2 Suites by Hilton in Ridley Park, near the Philadelphia International Airport. The Watchdog team served as an Owner’s Representative and protected the interests of the owner.
The Watchdog team created the project budget by working with the experienced Hilton design team and the established design standards. Watchdog supervised the construction manager and consultants on the project. The team’s knowledge of the legal process allowed them to oversee the land attorneys and civil engineers handling the land entitlement process and gain approval for a development in Ridley Park.
Watchdog coordinated with the construction manager to prepare a comprehensive schedule to guide the project. It was essential to account for the timeline needed for Borough of Ridley Park’s building permits and inspections, as well as the delivery dates for the significant amount of owner-provided furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
The team’s oversight helped avoid several potential project issues. For example, the Home2 Suites by Hilton is built on a section of land with existing restaurants and another hotel. This left limited space for material storage for the project. The team monitored the construction manager’s material deliveries, parking, debris removal, and access to the site, ensuring it did not disrupt the businesses nearby.
Additional logistics added to the complexity of the project as it was also located near a Boeing facility. The Boeing communications lines were included in the site utilities, which presented some difficulty. The Watchdog team prevented cost increases and schedule delays by leading coordination efforts and quickly resolving the issue.
Another critical activity was completing the parking lots to provide construction equipment access around the building and space for material staging. Because site preparation occurred in significantly wet weather, the team analyzed costs and decided to continue construction versus delaying the project to give the soil time to dry out. The damp soil was hauled off, and dry material was delivered to facilitate the parking lot construction. Watchdog negotiated change order costs and kept contractors moving forward during this unexpected weather impact.