Canopy provides for some leniency in terms of brand standards, so that could be a possibility for South End given the general feel of the neighborhood. They may even provide some key money.
South End will see a ‘real’ hotel soon enough, although it is going to skew more toward the select service side than any higher end, full service offering. At this stage of the cycle, any developer (especially in South End) needs to have a brand to drive room nights. The South End office pipeline is incredibly supportive of future hotel demand.
No way will a West Elm gets capitalized in South End. Not even by the most aggressive of the debt funds.