OTO Development Announces First AC Hotel by Marriott in South Carolina To Open in Spartanburg

June 16, 2015 | Development

Following city approval in February 2015, OTO Development today released details about the AC Hotel by Marriott planned for Spartanburg, SC.

“Throughout Europe, AC Hotels are located in the heart of vibrant cities,” explained Corry Oakes, CEO of OTO Development. “Spartanburg has a mix of an energetic community and a growing contingent of global corporate travelers. The AC brand is the perfect addition to the city. We enjoy a strong Marriott partnership with 22 branded hotels open and $600 million currently in development. We look forward to opening the first AC Hotel in South Carolina.”

Located at the intersection of West Main Street and South Daniel Morgan Avenue, the new AC Hotel Spartanburg will rise 10 stories and serve as visual beacon and gateway anchor to the west end of downtown Spartanburg. Extending the downtown streetscape to Grove Street, it will also enliven the pedestrian experience with outdoor dining, amenities, and landscaping. At the top of the hotel, an indoor/outdoor rooftop bar will provide 360-degree views overlooking Spartanburg. The hotel will bring 35 new jobs into the downtown area between hotel staff and food and beverage venues.

“We’ve been in the hospitality business over 20 years and have developed over 525 hotels across the country,” added Corry Oakes, CEO of OTO Development. “We are incredibly excited that the strength of the economy in Spartanburg leads us to believe this is the perfect time to bring another hotel to the place where we live and work.”

“For several years, the City has been working toward a vision based on the idea that a vibrant, walkable, livable, entrepreneurial, fun, and economically diverse central business district was both achievable and essential,” explains Spartanburg City Manager Ed Memmott. “This hotel project is further confirmation that these collaborative efforts are working. With nearly half a billion dollars invested downtown over the past decade, and nearly $100 million invested or announced just in the past 30 months, we have accomplished a lot by working together. A vibrant, growing downtown is an essential element in the continued economic expansion of Spartanburg County. We will continue to work together to build the world-class downtown, city and community that will increasingly win investments of this scale.”

“The addition of a high-caliber global brand like AC Hotels presents the ideal opportunity to invest and accelerate the positive momentum that is propelling downtown Spartanburg.” stated Geordy Johnson, CEO of Johnson Development. “Many thanks are in order to the people who helped make this project possible. We are grateful for the vision and support of our City leadership, who work diligently to promote the continued revitalization of our downtown area. We offer our gratitude to the Christopher and Harrison families and Event Rentals for graciously relocating their business so that this hotel can add to the growing vibrancy of our city center. This has truly been a collaborative effort, and one that we believe will make a tremendous positive impact on our community.”

“This hotel will have a tremendous impact on downtown and future development,” added Spartanburg Mayor Junie White. “We appreciate OTO Development and the Johnson family of companies having such strong faith in our plan for downtown. This project will help us realize all our dreams for downtown sooner.”

David M. Schwarz Architects of Washington, D.C. has been selected to collaborate with local firm McMillan Pazdan Smith on the hotel’s design. Schwarz comments, “We took care to ensure that the architectural design and materials of the building exterior emulate the scale, texture, and character of downtown Spartanburg.”

Additional hotel features include: • 9 floors with 110-120 guest rooms • A 10th floor with a rooftop bar with an outdoor terrace • A signature restaurant for the brand, The AC Kitchen • Approximately 2000-sq.ft. of flexible meeting space • Extensive onsite fitness room • Onsite surface parking • Outdoor pool

Demolition of the existing building on the site is slated to begin September 1, 2015, with an approximate opening date in September 2017.

About David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc. David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc. (DMSA) is a design-oriented architecture firm that sees architecture as both an art and a service. The firm formed in 1976 in Washington, D.C. Praise for their early work earned a reputation for “expressive” buildings. That reputation remains to this day. Context is fundamental to philosophy. Whether cultural, institutional, commercial, recreational, educational, mixed use, or residential, buildings are seen as interactive parts of a larger whole. DMSA designs buildings of appropriate scale and detail to serve the people who use them. Notable projects in the Upstate area include the Chapman Cultural Center, USC Upstate George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics, and the Upper School at the Spartanburg Day School. Additionally, DMSA designed the full renovation of the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

David Schwarz was the 2015 recipient of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize. The Driehaus Prize is awarded to a living architect whose work embodies the highest ideals of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary society, and creates a positive cultural, environmental, and artistic impact.

About McMillan Pazdan Smith McMillan Pazdan Smith is a studio-based, regional architecture, interior design and planning firm whose mission is to help clients create environments that embody their personalities, enrich their lives and enhance the quality of their communities. The firm represents a collaborative group of dedicated and enthusiastic design professionals who believe function, beauty, constructability and cost effectiveness are integral attributes of excellent design. Practicing since 1955, McMillan Pazdan Smith currently has offices throughout the Southeast in Asheville, NC, Atlanta, GA and Charleston, Greenville and Spartanburg, SC.

 

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