New extended stay hotel planned for Columbia’s Vista
A new 130-room hotel could be coming to the Vista.
The five-story, 90,000-square-foot building would sit on the corner of Huger and Senate Streets, according to plans submitted to the Columbia’s Design/Development Review Commission.
A parking lot will be located directly behind the building, and some additional spaces will be added off Senate Street.
“The plan is for an all suites hotel,” the architect, Craig Otto, said. “There will be kitchenettes in each room and it will be open for extended stay.”
Otto said he was not able to disclose the potential brand that the hotel will be but noted that “this will be a national franchise, a hotel chain that everyone is familiar with.”
The hotel would sit along the busy Huger Street corridor downtown, next to the One Eared Cow glass studio and gallery and Stormwater Studios artist studios. Other businesses in the area include McDonald’s, Freshe Poke and Columbia Craft Brewing Company.
The project is being developed by an Irmo-based company, Solara Hospitality. Even though plans have already been submitted to the city, senior vice president of Solara Andy Briggs said many of the details are still up in the air due to complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At the moment, we’re still trying to get answers from some different entities,” he said.
Still, Otto said if all goes as planned, construction could start as soon as spring of 2021.
The proposed plan will be discussed at the Design/Development Review Commission meeting on Sept. 10.
“The developer and myself want to be a good steward of the property and make it something attractive for people to see when they pass by so we will make sure to work with the city to do that,” he said.
In the past two years at least four other hotels have been announced for the Vista. They include:
- A 150 room, 11 story Hilton hotel at 700 Gervais Street
- A 350 plus room hotel at the Columbia Convention Center
- A 105 room, 5 story Holiday Inn Express at the corner of Washington and Lincoln streets
- A 144 room Choice Cambria hotel at the corner of Lady and Park streets
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 1:32 PM.
