Look inside: Staunton Crossing Marriott hotel to open next week

Laura Peters | The News Leader

STAUNTON - It's been just shy of a year since Staunton Crossing broke ground on its two major hotels. Now, one is set to open next week.

Construction on the entire Staunton Crossing complex, located on Richmond Avenue near Interstate 81, started nearly two years ago. Hotel officials announced the new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott will open Oct. 22.

Initially it was estimated the hotels would be open in early 2018. But, these are big hotels and generally take a good amount of time to build, according to Scott Goldenberg, of Staunton Crossing Partners LLC, the developer on the project.

According to Tim Fitzgerald, the regional director of operations for the Heritage Hospitality Management, construction kept a normal pace, but they had wished to be open sooner.

The second hotel is a Tru by Hilton hotel.

The Marriott will feature 98 rooms and the Tru will have 90 rooms. Staunton will feature the 50th Tru by Hilton in the country, according to Thomas Dahl of Staunton Crossing Partners LLC. It's expected that there will be nearly 200 Tru hotels by the end of 2018, Dahl said.

Goldenberg's company, Heritage Hospitality Management, does Hilton and Marriott franchise management and development, but Staunton Crossing is the biggest project in terms of acreage that he's worked on.

According to Fitzgerald, the Tru hotel will open Nov. 5.

"From a company standpoint, this is the first Marriott in Staunton," Fitzgerald said.

"It's really just bringing another option to Staunton," said the hotel's general manager Brian Gearhart. "It's been pretty limited in mid-price modern hotel selections here."

The Fairfield Inn & Suites has nearly 55,000 square feet over four floors. The new, modern design creates a sleek, inviting look to the hotel — a rebranding and redecorating effort by the Marriott company. Currently the hotel has 25 employees, but Gearhart said they hope to expand that to 40 people.

“Delivering both function and comfort, our new design and decor elevate the Fairfield brand, setting a new standard in the moderate tier category,” said Callette Nielsen, vice president and global brand manager, Fairfield Inn & Suites in a release. “At Fairfield Inn & Suites, we provide an easy, positive and productive travel experience, as well as the promise of consistent and reliable service at an exceptional value. The Fairfield Inn & Suites Staunton is a truly stunning example of the brand’s contemporary look and feel, and we are pleased to introduce Fairfield Inn & Suites hotels in the Staunton area.”

The hotel offers a large lobby and lounge area, an indoor pool for guests, fitness room, breakfast area (with complementary breakfast), small corner market and outdoor patio area.

The rooms use "smart room decor," a release said, which make the rooms "flexible and functional.

"The guest room includes a well-designed work area, an ergonomic chair, task lighting and electrical outlets where guests need them," the release said. "A curved, mobile desk enables guests to create their own work space, while also optimizing their television viewing."

Each room also features pops of color and wood tones, inspired by nature. There are three different types of rooms at the hotel: a two-queen room, king room and a king suite. The king suite offers a sitting area with desk and pull-out couch.

About Staunton Crossing

The inception of the project began in 2006.

The 300-acre property used to be the site of Western State Hospital and has about 26 buildings in varying conditions. Staunton paid $15 million for the property through city-issued bonds in a land-swap deal with the state.

Back then the project was called Staunton Gateway. The Economic Development Authority acquired the Gateway site from the state in 2009 in exchange for the city's promise to pay $15 million toward the $110 million cost of building a new Western State Hospital, on what was city-owned land just to the north of the hospital's current site.

Staunton's Economic Development Association took the title of the property from the state in 2011. Back then, construction was set to start in the spring of 2012.

In 2015, thing started to move a little bit.

Staunton sold 19 acres of publicly held land along U.S. 250 to Staunton Crossing Partners LLC.

Then in 2016, it was said construction of a Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites was to be built first and then a Tru by Hilton hotel, a completely new brand from Hilton Worldwide, was set to begin in the spring of 2017.

Staunton Crossing Partners is also planning for multiple food options, large retail, a gas station and possibly high-end office buildings, but the they have no commitments yet for any of the other slots. According to Goldenberg, after the openings of both hotels, more will come.

"Hopefully people will see the value," he said. "It's a great spot and piece of property."

The overall development is expected to generate more than $1.5 million per year in taxable income for the city when it's fully built out, which should be a big boost towards covering some of the initial costs associated with the enormous 300-acre property and further developing it down the line.

The hotels alone are expected to generate about $500,000 per year in tax revenue and generate 50 to 60 new full-time and part-time jobs.

Fairfield Inn & Suites has nearly 900 properties across the globe. The Staunton location is at 114 Crossing Way off Richmond Avenue in the new business park Staunton Crossing.

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Follow Laura Peters @peterslaura and @peterpants. You can reach her at lpeters@newsleader.com or 213-9125.