One Hundred twenty-seven guest rooms on floors 7 through 9 above the Church Avenue parking garage – with the lobby, fitness center and guest breakfast area on the ground floor. That’s what the new Hampton Inn and Suites will offer guests when they cut the ribbon on a project that has been delayed for months due to the challenges of building a hotel atop an existing parking garage in downtown Roanoke.
For starters, according to Director of Sales Shay Bowman, the garage wasn’t exactly as square as it could have been as a base to build on. Then elevators for the hotel had to be cut through floors of the parking garage, another feat that may have taken longer than first anticipated. “A lot of our properties do [include] a parking garage, however they were built from the ground up,” said Bowman. “This is the first time we purchased ‘air’ and started on top of a parking garage that was existing.”
During a recent media tour, Bowman led visitors to suites with unique views. Some overlook Elmwood Park on one side of the hotel, while others boast views of the City Market area and the Taubman Museum of Art.
Those rooms with a view also include outdoor balconies and will rent for a premium said Bowman, who has been booking suites and the meeting rooms with an August 1 start date. Once it opens, she will fill in the month or so until August with more reservations.
Building on top of an existing parking garage proved to be a challenge for both construction crews and the city. But that challenge is about over and Bowman said there is a definite demand for such a property downtown.
There is a “huge need for another downtown hotel in Roanoke … one being for the wedding market.” Not only that – during April’s Huey Lewis and the News concert at Elmwood Park, Bowman said guests could “hear every word” the band sang from the stage. “I think a lot of locals are going to take an interest in those corner suites.”
Gene Marrano
