Whatever happened with expanding that downtown hotel? Curious Columbus has an answer.

Brittany McGee
·2 min read

The Ledger-Enquirer asked readers to send in questions for us to answer, and one reader wanted to find out what was happening with a previously announced hotel expansion that was intended to happen downtown.

“Will there be follow-up stories about the Marriott expansion that was announced several years ago across from the Trade Center?” asked Columbus resident Gary Dunn.

Columbus Council approved an agreement between the city, the Development Authority of Columbus, Georgia and the owners of the Marriott hotel, the Pezold Companies, on Front Avenue in October 2019.

The plan was to add 88 new rooms and build an over-the-road Skybridge connecting the Marriott to the Columbus Convention and Trade Center. City officials at the time said the project would help Columbus compete with cities around the state and nation for conventions largely because of the additional hotel space.

Unfortunately, less than six months after the expansion was announced, the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a standstill.

The owners of the Marriott decided to move forward with renovating the existing rooms in the hotel after the pandemic began, said Hayley Tillery, executive director of the Columbus Trade & Convention Center.

The Columbus Marriott plans to expand and connect to the Trade and Convention Center ended because of the pandemic. It was renovated and new hotels downtown allowed for larger conventions.
The Columbus Marriott plans to expand and connect to the Trade and Convention Center ended because of the pandemic. It was renovated and new hotels downtown allowed for larger conventions.

Although it was renovated, she said, the Marriott would no longer be expanded with COVID being a large factor as to why.

“The Pezold Companies also just opened City Mills Hotel,” Tillery said. “Which is just a beautiful property.”

Along with City Mills Hotel, the company also opened a new Hampton hotel in downtown Columbus. The two hotels combined added over 150 rooms downtown.

The new hotel space allowed the city to host larger conventions, like the Georgia Republican Party’s 2023 State Convention, which officials say contributed to more visitor spending and an economic boost for Columbus.

Trade Center officials are also working on a more functional parking garage, she said, with possibly a connector added to it that will make it easier for visitors. After this renovation takes place, officials will revisit how they can expand more hotel rooms near the Trade Center, Tillery said.

Going forward, Columbus residents can expect to see more changes to hotel infrastructure in the city, Tillery said.

“We do have a hopeful plan of more hotel rooms in the downtown community,” she said.

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