Hampton Inn construction continues in downtown Columbus. Here’s the latest on the project
A new hotel soon will be opening in the downtown Columbus area.
The Hampton Inn on the corner of Broadway and 12th Street is expected to be completed by fall 2022, according to Newt Aaron of Aaron & Clements, Inc., the owners’ representative for the development.
The Pezold Companies property will consist of 93 rooms and will follow the “current prototype” for Hampton Inn as defined by Hilton, the hotel chain’s parent company, he said.
“Progress is going well, considering everything,” Aaron said. “If you’ve been talking to anybody about construction, we’ve been subject to huge variations in cost and variations in availability on things. A lot of supply chain issues that everybody is having. ... But we’re moving along well now.”
Construction resumed this year after a yearlong, COVID-induced hiatus.
The hotel’s wood frame is nearly complete. The wood skin is finished, all windows have been placed and installation has started on the exterior finishing materials, he said.
Construction of the rough-in, which consists of mechanical, electrical and plumbing lines within the walls and above the ceilings, is underway inside the building.
Aaron said the hotel’s design will be the “latest style.”
“They’ve always been very monotonal in color,” Aaron said, “and this is very different.”
The appearance will be in keeping with the surrounding area. A brick style similar to those featured on nearby Columbus State University’s Frank Brown Hall is being used.
“It’s gonna be a nice hotel,” Aaron said. “Everybody’s gonna really like it. Of course, it’s in a good location, with everything going on.”
Aaron said the total cost has been in flux due to supply chain and availability issues. The Ledger-Enquirer in 2019 reported that plans were for a $12 million structure.
“The owner has gotten a $12 million bond issue,” Aaron said. “And whether we spend that much, or spend a little bit more, or less, we don’t know yet.”
The hotel was announced in June 2016. Original plans called for the hotel to be a mix of new construction and renovation of buildings at 1201 Broadway, 1205 Broadway and 1205 Front Ave., which formerly housed Aaron’s Rents and Phenix Finance.
Costs for that plan exceeded projections, leading Valley Hospitality to tear down the buildings and construct a new hotel on the site.
The new plans were drawn by Bounds, Gillespie, Killebrew, Tushek Architects, the Memphis firm that has done a number of Hampton Inn projects across the country, the L-E previously reported.
This story was originally published December 27, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
