3rd hotel planned for busy Beaufort site as developers confident despite uncertainty
More hotel rooms could be coming to Beaufort as developers remain confident despite a recent hit from the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of short-term rentals.
A third hotel is planned as part of a 10-acre development at Parris Island Gateway and Trask Parkway, a busy intersection about a mile from the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort gate. The project is called Desai Hotel and would be a five-story building with 116 rooms, according to plans submitted to the city.
The site already includes a Home 2 Suites hotel as part of the property developed by Savannah-based HD Companies. A Tru by Hilton hotel is under construction, as well as a commercial building that will house a Sub Station sandwich shop, plans show.
Business at the first hotel has been encouraging, developers say. The second hotel is slated for completion by early fall and will appeal to a different market, said David Hornsby, a vice president over development at HD Companies.
“We’ve experienced better than anticipated results,” Hornsby said.
A 3,600 square-foot commercial building fronting Trask Parkway that could house another food establishment is also part of future plans. The project includes parking space for food trucks.
The Spanish Moss Trail runs along the site and goes underground at the entrance to the Home 2 Suites. The concrete recreational path runs from Port Royal to beyond the Marine base.
Hotel projects are moving forward even as the coronavirus pandemic has affected travel and kept the public from attending Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island graduations — a big driver of northern Beaufort County visitors.
A SpringHill Suites under construction on Boundary Street is expected to add 111 rooms on a site of a former Econo Lodge. The Tru by Hilton is slated for another 92 rooms.
A smaller project is planned on Carteret Street to convert a building into a 12-unit hotel in the city’s historic district.
Northern Beaufort County has about 1,400 hotel rooms.
SpringHill Suites is a Marriott brand and should attract travelers who otherwise stay in Bluffton or on Hilton Head to earn points through the company’s rewards program, said Vimal Desai, chief operations officer of HMV Management, when the project broke ground last year.
The hotel growth comes as hospitality industry representatives expressed concern last year over occupancy rates and workforce issues as they lobbied local governments for more regulations for short-term rentals.
Hotel operators have brainstormed ways to attract corporate travelers early in the week to diversify business amid the uncertainty.
Hornsby said the Home 2 Suites hotel’s proximity to the Marine air base has helped draw civilian travelers who visit the base to service planes.
The Desai Hotel proposal includes meeting rooms, a lobby and a fitness center on the ground floor. The upper four floors would be made up of double and king suites.
The city Design Review Board will consider conceptual approval of the plans during a virtual meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Developers expect to break ground in 2021.
