Officials cut the ribbon on the new Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Downtown Gainesville Thursday morning, as guests plan to arrive later in the day.
Construction on the hotel is complete and the doors opened to customers Thursday morning following a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by various Gainesville officials, including Mayor Sam Couvillon.
The 130-room hotel features five suites, a limited-service restaurant, an indoor and outdoor bar, a fitness center and expansive gathering spaces. There are also two levels of underground parking beneath the hotel.
“We knew that it was a special piece of property and wanted to do something that would benefit downtown, I really spent a lot of time thinking about it,” Capstone Property Group Chairman Jeff Payne said. “And initially we wanted to restore the old bank buildings here to build the hotel, but we couldn't get enough rooms in it to really make it practical. And the architecture of the bank wasn't very attractive. So we decided to tear it down, and then lead the hotel to Main Street and E.E. Butler.”
A large plaza with fireplaces and seating sits between the hotel’s backside and a new development, known as The National. That property will be an apartment building, which started early leasing in June.
Employees working at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel will have health insurance and retirement benefits, according to Payne. Additionally, as the hotel and apartment complex grows, so will the employee team.
Payne believes adding this hotel location will help keep many conferences and tourists in the city, which will boost the local economy.
“There companies here that have major presences that don't house their executives here, they pick Chateau Elan or Atlanta when they come in, and we'll be able to host those people,” Payne said. “I think it will provide a better impression of our community to have a modern place where they can stay right in the heart of downtown.”
The new hotel will provide several different styles of room, as well as a host of amenities that General Manager Wayne Cannon said will help bolster accessibility.
“Courtyard has a long-standing history of being the business traveler hotel, they're set up so that things are convenient, they are easy to use,” Cannon said. “All rooms have a microwave, a refrigerator and a coffee maker. So you have everything that you need right at your fingertips. We call it ‘everything right where you need it,’ and all of those things help to make us the brand of choice.”
The Marriott Courtyard Hotel has currently hired approximately 50 employees.
“A few guests are coming in later today,” Payne said. “We weren't able to open that up until this morning on the Marriott website, but we have a large meeting coming in next week, and several in September. So we're excited to welcome those groups to town.”
A video showcasing aspects of the new hotel can be found at the top of this page, as well as on the AccessWDUN social media pages.
