The four-story hotel would rise on a vacant lot in the Fan. (Mike Platania photos)
There’s a new boutique hotel in the works in the Fan – and its guests can likely expect a more substantial treat than the traditional mint on the pillow.
Nicole and Bryon Jessee, the married couple owners of dessert shop Shyndigz, are planning to build a 19-room hotel at 1904 W. Cary St.
The proposed development would rise four stories on what’s now a parking lot across the street from the Shyndigz location and adjacent to its future home at 1912 W. Cary St., a project the Jessees are building out.
The Jessees have run cake-focused Shyndigz since 2010 and its neighboring breakfast spot The Fancy Biscuit since 2015. In their travels over the years, they said they’ve developed an affinity for boutique hotels and eventually began dreaming of having one of their own.
“Our life has worked out that we don’t have kids, so we’ll work really hard and then we’ll take a couple of days and go stay in a hotel somewhere,” Nicole said. “That’s been our passion, our little respite.”
“It’s a great excuse to get out of town,” Bryon said, noting that they’ve stayed in boutiques from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Dallas and Mexico.
Nicole and Bryon Jessee
Their dream began to gain traction in 2021 when the Jessees bought 1904 and 1912 W. Cary St. from the Eck family. About a year after that they began the process of converting the vacant building at 1912 into Shyndigz’s long-term home, and decided the roughly quarter-acre lot next to it would be suitable for a boutique hotel.
Plans show an outdoor courtyard would connect the 16,000-square-foot hotel to the new Shyndigz market. The hotel’s ground floor would have an event space/common area, though the Jessees haven’t settled on whether they want to have a public-facing restaurant in it.
“We’ll have a commercial kitchen with a hood, so there are a lot of opportunities,” Nicole said. “I’m not saying we wouldn’t do a restaurant or bar, but we may just use it for private events. We haven’t hashed that out yet.”
They said each room would be decorated differently but common denominators would be plenty of natural light, art and plants. The rooms also would be stocked with free goods from the Jessees’ restaurants.
“We hope to do things like have a little charcuterie board from Shyndigz in the refrigerator, or take-and-bake biscuits from The Fancy Biscuit in the freezer,” Nicole said.
“We really want to anticipate the guests’ needs. Just things that when guests arrive, they’re put at ease instantly,” Bryon added.
The rooms would range in size from around 400 up to nearly 1,000 square feet, with the larger rooms outfitted with galley kitchens and dining areas.
“One thing we do know is that we’re not doing the standard footprint of a hotel. The rooms are going to be much larger. I see them as ideal for a girls’ weekend or bachelorette parties,” Nicole said.
A conceptual drawing of the hotel next to the future Shyndigz location. (City documents)
The hotel also is planned to have a rooftop lounge with a pergola for guests. The Jessees said the tentative name for the hotel is “Dear John,” an homage to their young nephew.
Johannas Design Group is the project architect and is representing the Jessees in their pursuit of a special-use permit for the project. Bryon said they recently met with Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch, who was supportive of the project, and that they hope to go before the city’s Planning Commission soon.
The hotel would have nine off-street parking spaces, an amount Bryon said the couple believes will be able to support the hotel.
“The only thing that we’re hearing so far, and we knew we would, is parking. But it was really interesting. We did a census with our staff and we found out that 65 percent of our employees either walk, ride their bike, or bus to work. That surprised me and is really cool,” Bryon said. “There’s not as much need as there used to be in the past for parking.“
Parking questions aside, the Jessees said they are relishing the chance to make the jump into the hotel industry.
“Yes, we’re restaurant people, but first and foremost we’re hospitality people. What we love is giving people an experience. Hopefully they’ll walk out of our places and they’ll remember the way we make them feel,” Nicole said.
“Just with our years of traveling and having a love for hotels, it feels natural to want to give that back. For me, this is definitely my passion project.”
While the hotel’s plans continue to get prepared, work is well underway on the Shyndigz’s future home, with Fortitude Commercial Contracting as the general contractor. Bryon said they’re hoping to be open at 1912 W. Cary St. this summer.
The Jessees’ project is the second boutique hotel in the works in the Fan. ASH NYC, a New York firm, is working on converting a vacant senior living facility into a 70-room boutique hotel.
The four-story hotel would rise on a vacant lot in the Fan. (Mike Platania photos)
There’s a new boutique hotel in the works in the Fan – and its guests can likely expect a more substantial treat than the traditional mint on the pillow.
Nicole and Bryon Jessee, the married couple owners of dessert shop Shyndigz, are planning to build a 19-room hotel at 1904 W. Cary St.
The proposed development would rise four stories on what’s now a parking lot across the street from the Shyndigz location and adjacent to its future home at 1912 W. Cary St., a project the Jessees are building out.
The Jessees have run cake-focused Shyndigz since 2010 and its neighboring breakfast spot The Fancy Biscuit since 2015. In their travels over the years, they said they’ve developed an affinity for boutique hotels and eventually began dreaming of having one of their own.
“Our life has worked out that we don’t have kids, so we’ll work really hard and then we’ll take a couple of days and go stay in a hotel somewhere,” Nicole said. “That’s been our passion, our little respite.”
“It’s a great excuse to get out of town,” Bryon said, noting that they’ve stayed in boutiques from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Dallas and Mexico.
Nicole and Bryon Jessee
Their dream began to gain traction in 2021 when the Jessees bought 1904 and 1912 W. Cary St. from the Eck family. About a year after that they began the process of converting the vacant building at 1912 into Shyndigz’s long-term home, and decided the roughly quarter-acre lot next to it would be suitable for a boutique hotel.
Plans show an outdoor courtyard would connect the 16,000-square-foot hotel to the new Shyndigz market. The hotel’s ground floor would have an event space/common area, though the Jessees haven’t settled on whether they want to have a public-facing restaurant in it.
“We’ll have a commercial kitchen with a hood, so there are a lot of opportunities,” Nicole said. “I’m not saying we wouldn’t do a restaurant or bar, but we may just use it for private events. We haven’t hashed that out yet.”
They said each room would be decorated differently but common denominators would be plenty of natural light, art and plants. The rooms also would be stocked with free goods from the Jessees’ restaurants.
“We hope to do things like have a little charcuterie board from Shyndigz in the refrigerator, or take-and-bake biscuits from The Fancy Biscuit in the freezer,” Nicole said.
“We really want to anticipate the guests’ needs. Just things that when guests arrive, they’re put at ease instantly,” Bryon added.
The rooms would range in size from around 400 up to nearly 1,000 square feet, with the larger rooms outfitted with galley kitchens and dining areas.
“One thing we do know is that we’re not doing the standard footprint of a hotel. The rooms are going to be much larger. I see them as ideal for a girls’ weekend or bachelorette parties,” Nicole said.
A conceptual drawing of the hotel next to the future Shyndigz location. (City documents)
The hotel also is planned to have a rooftop lounge with a pergola for guests. The Jessees said the tentative name for the hotel is “Dear John,” an homage to their young nephew.
Johannas Design Group is the project architect and is representing the Jessees in their pursuit of a special-use permit for the project. Bryon said they recently met with Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch, who was supportive of the project, and that they hope to go before the city’s Planning Commission soon.
The hotel would have nine off-street parking spaces, an amount Bryon said the couple believes will be able to support the hotel.
“The only thing that we’re hearing so far, and we knew we would, is parking. But it was really interesting. We did a census with our staff and we found out that 65 percent of our employees either walk, ride their bike, or bus to work. That surprised me and is really cool,” Bryon said. “There’s not as much need as there used to be in the past for parking.“
Parking questions aside, the Jessees said they are relishing the chance to make the jump into the hotel industry.
“Yes, we’re restaurant people, but first and foremost we’re hospitality people. What we love is giving people an experience. Hopefully they’ll walk out of our places and they’ll remember the way we make them feel,” Nicole said.
“Just with our years of traveling and having a love for hotels, it feels natural to want to give that back. For me, this is definitely my passion project.”
While the hotel’s plans continue to get prepared, work is well underway on the Shyndigz’s future home, with Fortitude Commercial Contracting as the general contractor. Bryon said they’re hoping to be open at 1912 W. Cary St. this summer.
The Jessees’ project is the second boutique hotel in the works in the Fan. ASH NYC, a New York firm, is working on converting a vacant senior living facility into a 70-room boutique hotel.
In my opinion 9 parking spaces for a 19-room hotel isn’t adequate, even if all of their employees ride bikes or take GRTC. Other than parking, the concept is terrific!
Brian, as someone who lives in Byrd Park, I don’t want everywhere around me to have an enormous parking lot. I specifically chose not to live in Henrico for the character of my urban neighborhood and the ability to walk to places. Please stop wishing for absurd parking requirements when we have a mass transit system covering the urban core of our area.
You make a very reasonable point, Brian. I don’t think the critics understand that builders should have an obligation to their neighbors to integrate parking into the building design (i.e. parking deck) instead of inconveniencing the residents. It’s all about being considerate and sharing the finite resources that everyone uses.
Exciting vision! Love the idea for a boutique hotel However, 19 guest rooms, owners, managers, and at least 35% of staff using vehicles cannot be supported by 9 parking spaces. Be real. I don’t see many out-of-town hotel guests using the mass transit system. And as a hotel guest, paying $40-$50 per night for parking is not pleasant.
I live nearby and am glad to hear its not going to be a parking lot any longer. Matter of fact, I wouldnt support the vision if it added a huge lot. This is the fan not Henrico.
It doesn’t need a big lot, it need a subterranean garage, like most urban hotels in most other cities.
Underground parking garages come with a 50-75k price per parking space, which would kill this development. Can anyone name an underground garage in The Fan? I don’t believe one exists.
Does a boutique hotel already exist in the Fan?
Yes, The Boulevard Inn at Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Main. There will soon be another one at Allen and Grace, too.
With all the surrounding street parking, they’ll be just fine especially since everyone doesn’t drive when on vacation. Someone could easily spend a weekend at this location and never need a car.
Two hour parking is hardly a pleasantry when visiting from out of town. Richmond parking is horrendous, even compared to NYC.
Ashley, I am really starting to doubt you have spent a significant amount of time outside of Richmond. Richmond has very little traffic and parking issues compared to any major north eastern city.
Cory–I bet “Ashley” posts about how downtown is a burned out husk because of antifa under her other names.
Sounds great and maybe they can work with the owners of the adjacent “market” to allow their lobby bathrooms to be used by the public. If you live in the area you know that back section of the old Sieberts (now Cary) BP is popular self relief spot for all parties.
A lot of the people who used to hangout in this area all day sadly passed away due to fentanyl in the past 18 months according to a shop owner at Cary and Meadow. Long term hopefully the gas station is gone too.
I wonder why the groups were smaller; still I see college age kids walking about using the site as well Thursday-Sunday but I agree I hope a change is a coming.
This is awesome! What a fun project for Bryon and Nicole! Congratulations to y’all and thanks for making Richmond a little sweeter.
Justin: I would hardly call GRTC a” mass transit” system. It’s minimal at best. Do you really believe that most people who would stay at this boutique hotel will be arriving vis Amtrak?
Brian, “Mass transit system” by definition is: public transportation. GRTC is public transit so I’m not sure how to convey that more plainly.
As far as if people who stay at a hotel will use Amtrak. I have a good number of friends who visit from DC/Philly/NYC and they take the train or bus. Not everyone uses a car to get everywhere and Uber/Lyft are readily available. Aside from that this area has plentiful street parking.