Fifth hotel breaks ground in Millbrook as leaders promise more

Marty Roney, Montgomery Advertiser
·2 min read

MILLBROOK ‒ Millbrook’s fifth and newest hotel broke ground Thursday, and there may be more to come.

TownePlace Suites by Marriott will be a 107-room “upscale extended stay” hotel, said Matt Patel, chief operating officer for RAM Hotels. It’s on Exit 179, just off Interstate 65, and should be open within a year. It's adjacent to Springhill Suites, another RAM Hotels property.

TownePlace offers a kitchenette in each room and 12 one-bedroom suites that provide a full kitchen. There's also a gym, grills and utensils available for guests.

Millbrook’s growth was key in choosing the site for the second hotel, Patel said. RAM has 26 hotels and a portfolio that will grow to $750 million by 2025, said Rinkesh Patel, chief executive officer of the company. RAM stands for Rinkesh And Matt.

“It was easy to decide to build our second property here,” Matt Patel said. “I come here every two weeks and coming here, coming to Millbrook, is like coming home.”

TownePlace Suites is building a hotel in Millbrook near Exit 179 off of Interstate 65.
TownePlace Suites is building a hotel in Millbrook near Exit 179 off of Interstate 65.

Mayor Al Kelley was working with the Patels to expand in the city. Kelley mentioned 17 Springs, the sprawling sports complex being built just a few miles away on Alabama 14. The first phase of that complex is completed and the second phase in now under construction.

“We took Rinkesh on a tour of 17 Springs and at first he wasn’t sold,” Kelley said, getting a laugh from those gathered for the groundbreaking. “But after the tour he was very excited about what we are offering.”

Rinkesh Patel pledged the company will come back to Millbrook. “Sports make a community so much better, and you should be applauded for what you are doing,” he said.

Hotels and the lodging taxes they produce are key to moving the county forward, said Art Faulkner, chairman of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.

“We are going to see the footprint of the 181 change drastically,” he said of the Alabama 14 exit that provides access to 17 springs. “All those people that will come here for 17 Springs have to stay somewhere.

“So, this is just the beginning. We will see more hotels coming. The county and our municipalities have decided to work together to increase our revenue without increasing taxes on our citizens. That’s why hotel growth is so important.”

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Fifth hotel breaks ground in Millbrook as leaders promise more