An old downtown Corpus Christi hotel may look very different in the future. Here's how.

Kirsten Crow, Corpus Christi Caller Times

A more than 50-year-old hotel in downtown Corpus Christi is anticipated to see an overhaul in the millions of dollars within the next year.

Hotel Corpus Christi Bayfront – likely best known in recent years as home to Cassidy’s Irish Pub – is proposed for a refreshed look inside and out, boosted by about $2.1 million in tax incentives.

It will be called Hotel Arya.

Developer Bal Gosal purchased the property in 2019, and since then his business has “had numerous times we could have sold it.”

“But we really, really believed in it when we bought it, and we believe in it today,” he told a city board that oversees downtown tax incentives Tuesday.

This conceptual rendering shows a planned overhaul of Hotel Corpus Christi Bayfront. As part of renovations, developers plan to rebrand the building as Hotel Arya.
This conceptual rendering shows a planned overhaul of Hotel Corpus Christi Bayfront. As part of renovations, developers plan to rebrand the building as Hotel Arya.

Located at 601 N. Water Street, the hotel occupies space of about one city block and has 200 rooms that are planned to be fully renovated, said Downtown Management District Executive Director Alyssa Barrera Mason.

Among planned improvements for the exterior are new paint, stucco repairs and landscaping, according to a presentation made before the board.

The interior had a Spanish colonial look that included a lot of dark wood features, Barrera Mason said, but with the proposed renovations, that will take a shift toward an aesthetic that will be more “light, airy, coastal and contemporary.”

In all, the project will amount to an investment of about $24 million, Barrera Mason said.

The company, YC Texas LLC, has its headquarters in Nevada and operates a Hotel Arya in Coconut Grove in Miami, Gosal told the board.

The new owners of Hotel Corpus Christi Bayfront at 601 N. Water St. have plans to do a much-needed complete overhaul of the hotel's interior that will cost $6 million to $12 million. The historic structure hasn't been renovated since it was built in 1973.
The new owners of Hotel Corpus Christi Bayfront at 601 N. Water St. have plans to do a much-needed complete overhaul of the hotel's interior that will cost $6 million to $12 million. The historic structure hasn't been renovated since it was built in 1973.

The name has a “nice ring to it,” said City Councilman Everett Roy.

“In a couple of years, (downtown) is going to be pretty swanky,” he said.

It is estimated the project will be completed by May 2025, Barrera Mason said.

The funding for the tax incentives is drawn from a certain portion of tax increments collected in the downtown area and may only be used on improvements to the downtown area.

The $2.1 million in tax incentives was approved by the board unanimously Tuesday.

The City Council must vote to make the decision final.

More: New owner bought Hotel Corpus Christi Bayfront for a bargain, will rename it Hotel Arya

More: A remodeled hotel and a new restaurant are proposed for downtown. Here are the details.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: This downtown Corpus Christi hotel will be revamped for 2025

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