Carrboro’s ?rst hotel marks week one

Carrboro’s first hotel opened its doors to guests last week, and members of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen were among the first guests.

The Hampton Inn & Suites Chapel Hill/Carrboro, located in Carrboro’s 300 East Main development, will hold its grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebrations later this month, but guests began staying there Aug. 28.

Kevin Rooney, general manager for the hotel, said town leaders and Main Street Properties owners and management were invited because they played an important role in bringing the hotel to Carrboro.

“Being Carrboro’s first hotel, we wanted the town leaders to have the opportunity to experience our Hamptonality and amenities firsthand,” Rooney said in an email. “We want the leaders of Carrboro to understand that we are excited to be part of this wonderful community and all it has to offer.”

Alderman Damon Seils said the hotel wasn’t that different from other Hampton Inn & Suites hotels and that he hopes the hotel will be beneficial to the town.

“I think one really useful feature of the hotel is that it does have meeting space for conferences,” he said. “They’ve already started booking conferences there which will be a really valuable asset for the town.”

Alderman Lydia Lavelle said she was excited to stay in a brand-new hotel room and even more excited to experience Carrboro’s first hotel.

“Just knowing it is the first official hotel we have ever had in Carrboro, I felt like it would be a bit of an historic occasion,” she said in an email.

And the hotel is more than just a place for business. Seils, Lavelle and Alderman Michelle Johnson said they enjoyed the views from inside the hotel.

Johnson said she stayed on the fourth floor and had a window with a view of the hotel’s swimming area. But on a tour of the hotel, she said she found views of downtown Carrboro she’d never been able to see from the street.

“It was really cool to be that high up and see different views of our town,” she said.

Johnson said she thinks the comfort and various rooming options the hotel offers will meet the needs of many visitors.

“I’m excited that it’s a moderately priced hotel, but it still has a really nice experience,” she said.

The hotel also welcomed several out-of-state guests last week. Lavelle said she had the opportunity to meet one of these guests on opening night.

“When I was returning to the hotel from dinner at Tyler’s (Restaurant & Taproom) that evening, I had the good fortune to meet the hotel’s first official non-local guest,” she said in an email. “We even had our picture taken together.”

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