When I began my campaign to be your mayor in 2020, one of the first things I set out to do was to get the centerpiece of our downtown, the Historic Eola Hotel, restored and open.
Little did I know what a daunting task this would prove to be. The list of challenges was long: a national pandemic, historic inflation, national labor shortages, rising construction costs, rising interest rates… it was enough for anyone to say mission impossible – tear it down.
But quit is not a word I like to use, and tearing down this historic icon was never going to be an option.
Phoenix Rising. It is amazing what a difference a few years can make. In August of 2021, an entrepreneur friend I had turned to for help, Hayes Dent, assembled various partners to announce they were beginning the task to bring the old lady back. The announcement was met with great celebration, but the real work soon began and proved to be a challenge beyond anyone’s expectations. But like me, quit was not in their vocabulary either. I am grateful that despite many challenges, Hayes and his team never gave up. And this week, we were finally able to make an exciting announcement. The Eola, built in 1927, will be celebrating her 100 th birthday with a grand reopening as a Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel. Plans for a major restoration are now complete and within the next few months an ambitious 14-month makeover will be taking place.
A tough secret to keep. Over a year ago when Hayes Dent first introduced me to Pete Metzgar, Senior Director of Development/ Full Service Brands for Mariott International, Inc., I considered our prayers answered. And a few months later, when Hayes and Pete let me know that a deal had been signed, I couldn’t wait to announce it to the whole world! Being told I couldn’t share the news was tough – and for many months, keeping the secret has been almost as hard as seeing this project through for the past five years. Wednesday, August 27, was a day I shall always remember. Permission was finally granted, a final meeting with Pete and Hayes was held at Marriott’s Westin Hotel in Jackson, with Natchez Mayor Pro-Tem Sarah Carter Smith and me, and word is now out. The Eola will soon become, for the first time in her long history, the flagship of a major, international hotel line. Being named a Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel is a big deal!
Going from initial agreement to public announcement. Marriott has an extensive process with many hurdles in place. A project must clear them all to become a successful Tribute Portfolio Hotel. And as one of the world’s most exclusive hotel lines, Marriott’s design and branding process is far from “cookie cutter”. Over many months, Marriott-approved designers, architects, engineers, and contractors have been pouring over the seven-story property, inspecting everything from elevators to fire escapes, and crafting an orchestrated design package detailed down to lobby and other public space designs to room and suite configurations. Even wall coverings and the design for final room-key cards have been submitted and approved. What is a Marriott Tribute Hotel? Up until a week ago, I was excited about the announcement about to come, but I didn’t fully grasp what it meant for The Eola. A visit last Thursday to The Alamite Hotel, located just a few hours from Natchez in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, changed that.
Opened in 2022, about the same size as The Eola, The Alamite happens to one of Marriott’s best Tribute properties in the world, bringing home the company’s top award in 2024. With over 150 properties worldwide, that’s a high achievement. Named after the University of Alabama mascot, The Alamite underscores the meaning of the Tribute line: it is a tribute to Tuscaloosa and the State of Alabama. All through the luxurious property are nods to its locale. Wallcoverings are inspired by native fauna. Alabama folk art is on display. Southern hospitality is highly celebrated. And of course, there are a few nods to legendary Alabama Football Coach Bear Bryant. In similar fashion, The Eola will not be ordinary – boiler plate.When completed, the renovated hotel will show the elegance of its era, 1920’s Art Deco. Designs will invoke the beauty of Natchez, our connection to the river, and our highest forms of architecture evident throughout the historic streets and bluffs of our beautiful city. If The Alamite is number one now, The Eola may very well take its place in the coming years.
Thanks to so many. For this exciting development, there are many people to thank: Hayes Dent for never giving up; Robert Lubin for funding the expensive price tag of pre-development; Natchez native Marjorie Feltus Hawkins for her consulting expertise in making sure the designs have the “Natchez Stamp”; other members of the development team – they know who they are: Bobby and Blair Plott,owners of The Alamite, and Heather Dill, Alamite General Manager for their hospitality: and of course Pete Metzgar and Marriott International, Inc. for making our vision come true.
Coming Soon. In the next few months, The City of Natchez will begin abating asbestos in the Frye Building, adjacent to The Eola, utilizing a $1.2 million Federal Grant that will help us to eventually tear it down. The Eola needs parking – and thanks to the generous donation of Natchez resident Walter Davis, who donated the Frye building to us a few years ago, she will have all the parking she needs.
God is good. Prayers have been answered. And more good news is yet to come.
Because Natchez Deserves More.
Comments