County, City Announce Plan to Bring 90-Bed Hotel Downtown

A new #12 million, 90-bed hotel could be coming to Anderson, thanks to a joint partnership by Anderson County and the City of Anderson.

Paragon Hotel Company, which currently manages four other hotels in the county, will join the city and county in building the new hotel which will feature conference rooms, a swimming pool and an outdoor firepit/patio area. None of the partners would name the "national chain" hotel which will occupy the space. 

Paragon's Jimmy Patel said there were still one or two possibiities, but a source which asked not to be identified said the chain has already been chosen and will be announced soon.

The hotel will be a multi-story complex, with retail stores and restaurants on the first floor. It is expected to be completed within 24 months after the approval of final plans, which Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts said would be very soon.

The city is also conducting a parking study, expected to be completed within six weeks, on the impact of the new hotel.

“This is a tipping point for us,” Roberts said. “Bringing a name-brand hotel to our downtown, and the complex nature of working with a national franchise is new to us. We are already on the radar of regional and national players, and the spotlight on us just got brighter with this key development on our horizon.” 

“We have worked in lock-step with the County and the developers to make this happen. Economic development projects like this require a high degree of cooperation and a shared vision. It is the culmination of more than a year of work, and we are pleased that all of the partners and both councils agree that now is the time to move on this project.” 

“A national brand name hotel locating downtown exemplifies the coordination and teamwork between Anderson County and the City of Anderson," said Anderson County Councilman Craig Wooten. This “One Anderson” approach is setting the stage for unparalleled industrial and commercial development for the next 20 years.” 

“We are proud of the infrastructure improvements we have made to downtown in the last few years, including new parks and green spaces,” said Anderson City Manager Linda McConnell. “This is a natural next step as we have the opportunity to become a destination market for regional conferences and continue to attract visitors to our downtown.”

The City and the County will have future readings on their respective agendas to complete the economic development project assistance. “The design features of the development will complement the downtown area and the ground floor amenities will attract visitors and pedestrian traffic to our business core,” David McCuen, Assistant City Manager said.

“We have plans on the drawing board for a possible parking garage in the block with the hotel, and we will follow the projections of the study as we move forward,” McConnell said.

See video of event here.