HAMMOND — In a little over a year’s time, Hammond will have a new $3 million five-story Courtyard Marriott Hotel at 1605 S. Magnolia St.
SMike Sarona with MM Construction, the general contractor, is also an owner of Hammond Lodging LLC, the legal owner of the franchise property, which will be located across the road from North Cypress Fitness Center, behind Sonic Drive-In and visible from South Railroad Avenue.
SCourtyard Marriott hotels are located in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Covington and are part of Marriott Hotels International chain. MM Construction, 68073 Hwy. 59, Mandeville, applied for a building permit with the city of Hammond and was approved May 14 for the 56,167-square-foot construction with a value of $3 million, earning the city $8,425 in fees.
SSite work is under way on the property, which Sarona projects will take six to eight weeks, in preparation for the slab pour in July. “With everything going our way, no bad weather or unforeseen obstacles, we are confident we would be able to get that hotel open within 15 months of today,” he said. “There will certainly be an opening next summer.”
SSarona said he did not have occupancy numbers but with the sizable investment “we would imagine that it will do good occupancy, contribute to the local economy in a similar vein as the four-story hotel across the road,” referring to the Holiday Inn on south Railroad Avenue. He speculated that the new Marriott will be the tallest hotel in town.
SThe new hotel will have an onsite restaurant and bar called “The Bistro”, free Wi-Fi, exercise facilities, business libraries and other amenities offered by the JW Marriott family of hotels, one of the premier hotel brands in the world, Sarona said.
SThe company chose Hammond as the location for its new hotel because the city “has a market that’s growing.”
S”Hammond offers a lot of potential,” he said. “There are a lot of businesses that are relocating to the North Shore, and there is the added benefit of the I-12 and I-55 intersections, which allow for a lot of volume. We decided Hammond is one of the areas we’d like to develop.”
Sarona, of Houma, is a native of Staffordshire, England.
SCourtyard Marriott has more than 900 hotels in 37 countries