Methodist Healthcare Ministries is taking a new approach to serving patients in the South Texas Medical Center.
The faith-based health equity nonprofit wants to build a 250-room hotel at the heart of the Medical Center this year that will include discounted hotel rooms for low-income families visiting the South Texas Medical Center for care.
It’s part of a future mixed-use development called Ministry Park that MHM says is meant to enhance the quality of life in the area.
“This is an exciting development for the South Texas Medical Center that will create a place of restoration and hope for those traveling to the area for much needed care, as well as those working and living in the area,” said Jaime Wesolowski, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries.
Ministry Park will be built on a 16-acre site between Wurzbach Road, Floyd Curl Drive and Medical Drive. It will sit alongside current commercial buildings, including a Walgreens, Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks that are currently on that block.
It’s the first time the nonprofit has developed a hotel and it created a new entity to take on the project. Chris Oviatt is president and CEO of MHM Realco and is leading the development effort.
The company’s first building is a hotel that will be dual-branded into a Hilton Garden Inn and a Home 2 Suites by Hilton.
Oviatt said the hotel will divide its rooms between market rate options and discounted options for low-income families that need a place to stay. He said at least 15% of rooms would be discounted for guests that qualify. Revenues from other rooms rented at market rates would go back into the hotel to help pay for those discounts.
“If you need to come to the South Texas Medical Center for care and don’t have the means to pay for a room for an extended treatment,” Oviatt said. “We want to be there.”
It will be similar to the Hope Lodge and Ronald McDonald House project in the area which provides lodging for families, Oviatt added.
He said that planning and building the hotel is a complex process, but Oviatt hopes the construction begins this year with an eye on opening in late 2028 or early 2029.
Building it could cost around $38 million. In a press release, Methodist Healthcare Ministries officials said there could be a groundbreaking in August.
Ministry Park won’t stop there, though.
“We certainly want to and hope to have a sustainable neighborhood in the heart of the South Texas Medical Center,” Oviatt said. “That means some green space. If it’s a neighborhood, that means that people are probably living there. Hopefully, at some point, there’s a multifamily component. Then you’re going to need some retail services.”
Adding green spaces and improving the environment in the Medical Center would enhance healthcare, Oviatt said.
“The South Texas Medical Center is a hustling and bustling place. We’d love for service providers and workers to be able to step out of their institutional environments and come spend some time in one of our green spaces,” he said. “We just believe that thriving people and thriving places are part of expanding healthcare.”
