A Charleston developer can take inspiration from hotels like the Rand Tower Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That hotel and a fifty-year-old property at 600 Broad Street in Augusta are now part of Marriott’s Tribute portfolio.
The Marriott website said the Tribute portfolio is “A family of independent boutique hotels bound by their indie spirit and heart for connecting people and places.”
Breakwater, a Charleston-based company, is undertaking a major renovation of the Ramada hotel, first opened in 1974 as the Executive House Hotel. The I.M. Pei-designed building was renamed Ramada in 1999.
“This is a full-scale renovation of this property. It’s also a rebranding of this property. So, it is no longer the Ramada,” Matt Brendle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, told ABD. “We have a redevelopment plan that we are in the process of executing currently, and we will relaunch this property in quarter one of next year.
Construction barriers surround the Ramada Hotel in the 600 block of Broad Street. Like a butterfly chrysalis, they will reveal a fresh look when they are removed.
It will be called the Conroy.
Brendle said one of the noticeable changes to the exterior of the property will be removing an extension that was added in the 1980s for a swimming pool, and the pool is being filled.
“We’re going to create an event courtyard, and this will lead into the meeting space that’s adjacent to it, and it’ll actually curve around to the backside of the hotel,” he explained. “It’ll be this kind of urban oasis that will be a new feature as part of the hotel. Those Plexiglas panels are getting pulled out, and so it’ll be more of an open-air environment.”
Brendle said his interest in the property began six years ago when he first met longtime owner Bonnie Ruben.
“We went on a five-year joy ride, then became business partners. She’s very excited. So am I,” he said. “The timing could not have been better, ultimately, with what’s happening with the new arena that’s coming online, all of the streetscape improvements, there’s a lot of great developments that are either starting or planning.”
Brad Usry, vice chair of the Coliseum Authority and chair of the new arena subcommittee, told ABD he knew the new facility was cited as part of the motivation for the hotel revival.
“In a meeting, he said one of the reasons that he moved forward with the renovation and development of the Ramada was because of the new arena’s construction and opening, said Usry, who added he wasn’t surprised. “I think you know when you’re going to bring that many events and that many people to a designated area, you would hope that it was going to create some economic development. That was our plan all along.”
Brendle said the renovation is not simply cosmetic updates. It is taking walls down to the studs, all new plumbing and electrical, as well as new elevators. There will be a new restaurant and lounge area on the ground floor. The goal is to make the hotel a popular gathering place.
“Our expectation of ourselves is to redeliver this property back to the community as a place that is not just for out-of-town guests coming to stay overnight, but this should be a place that all people in Augusta have a connection with,” he said. “It’s definitely a place that people have memories of. We’re going to breathe new life into this great property. It’s got such an interesting history, and we’re going to tell the story throughout the walls and corridors of the building.”
Part of that will eventually be to bring back a rooftop bar, a nod to the popular Eagle’s Nest that was a favorite gathering spot.
“We are purposefully delaying the opening of that concept until probably about a year after we open the hotel,” said Brendle. “We have the chance to transform the east end of Broad Street into a dynamic destination. With vibrant public spaces, an outstanding F&B program, and engaging events, the hotel will become the new beating heart of downtown Augusta, drawing locals and visitors alike.”
The former Ramada is not the only downtown hotel undergoing change. ABD will have that story tomorrow(Friday).
