First Carrboro hotel to open in spring

As Carrboro’s first hotel completes its climb skyward, the site that officials hope will be a tourist draw is one step closer to opening day.

On Nov. 1, Carrboro leaders celebrated the topping-off of the Hampton Inn & Suites building at 300 E. Main St.

The hotel, which will have 142 rooms and five stories, is part of the larger redevelopment plan for the 300 block of East Main Street.

The ceremony marked the placement of the final structural beam in the building’s roof.

About 75 people came out for the event — including Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton, as well as members of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

“We’re real excited about it,” Chilton said. “As far as we know this is the first hotel ever in Carrboro.”

Manish Atma, president of Atma Hotel Group, Inc., which will manage the Hampton, said he hopes to have the hotel open in time for spring graduation.

Though he said construction may end early, the hotel’s projected completion date is May 30.

“We’d love to open before graduation, but due to construction we’re not sure if we’ll make that,” Atma said.

He said regardless of when the hotel opens, he expects it will bring many new visitors to Carrboro.

But the project will also be bringing something else to town — jobs.

“We’re going to start with 30 employees, but employment at the hotel will peak at 40,” Atma said.

“In the hotel industry, you’ve got everything from managers to janitorial staff, so there are jobs at all different income levels.”

Laura Van Sant, a partner with the project’s developer, Main Street Properties in Carrboro, said it will bring money to Carrboro as well.

Van Sant said the tax value of the development was $800 million. The Orange County hotel occupancy tax alone could bring in $100,000 a year to Carrboro, she said.

Aaron Nelson, president and CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, agreed that the hotel’s economic benefits could be significant.

“A hotel is one of the best sorts of economic impacts you can have,” Nelson said.

“When people come to visit our community, many stay. But there are a significant number who stay outside of town. A hotel can help draw those people in.”

Nelson said one of the hotel’s most notable features is its LEED certification, which signifies the U.S. Green Building Council has evaluated it as environmentally sustainable.

“Almost all of the developments coming into our market now are LEED-certified or meet LEED standards,” Nelson said. “It’s a great thing because it reflects our values as a community.”

The 300 E. Main St. site is home to Cat’s Cradle and Carrboro ArtsCenter, as well as other businesses.

Within five years, developers hope to transform the site into a retail and arts destination.

Aside from the hotel, the development will also feature several multi-story buildings, a plaza and a 500-space parking deck.

Chilton said the pace of construction would likely depend on the economy.

“They can’t build a building and have it sit empty,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.