The $20 million hotel on the corner of South Main and Market streets in downtown Anderson is set to open its doors in June.
City leaders hope it is the first step in a surge of new development downtown.
“[It’s] a game-changer for downtown,” said Anderson City Administrator David McCuen. “It’s not only going to spark other development, it’s going to complement the kinds of things that we hear about that are in the planning stages every day by others who are planning projects in downtown Anderson.”
The Hilton Home2 Suites is a new kind of development for the city. The multistory hotel features 87 guest rooms and retail and restaurant space on the first floor. Amenities include conference rooms, meeting spaces and an outdoor area with a fire pit and swimming pool.
Behind the hotel is a 320-space, 8-level parking garage on McDuffie Street, which itself includes a rooftop amenity feature consisting of an indoor-and-outdoor restaurant space and seating area and view of the downtown skyline. Electric vehicle charging stations are also accessible inside the garage.
McCuen said he imagines the hotel to be the main hub for visitors of all kinds, including guests at weddings and special events, visitors to Anderson University, overnight business travelers, regional conference attendees, and those looking for a place to stay during Clemson home games.
“When I first came to Anderson five years ago, this was the kind of project I imagined,” McCuen said. “It’s exciting to me personally to see it becoming a reality and open for business really soon.”
Van Winkle is the general contractor and Fontaine Construction is the site contractor.
McCuen said the opening of the hotel is a result of a longstanding collaboration between Mayor Terence Roberts and Anderson City Council, along with professionals from Main at Market, a new development company partnership between Mitesh Patel, president of Paragon Hotels, and Greenville-based developer Steve Timmons. Major streetscape improvements on Market Street were completed in tandem with the building of the hotel.
McCuen said both Patel and Timmons were vital in getting the project off the ground during the early planning stages.
“They have a wealth of knowledge and I have learned a lot form them during this process,” McCuen said. “We are all definitely going to benefit from all aspects of this entire project.”
