New hotel to support tourism and business across the area STORY BY BETSY ILER PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
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rom children’s sporting events to weddings, fishing tournaments and local jobs, the new Holiday Inn Express is expected to provide an economic boost to Alexander City when it opens in 2024. Tallapoosa County Tourism Director Sandra Fuller announced the project last month with owner Jay Patel of Alexander City and IHG Hotels & Resorts. The $8 million project on U.S. Highway 280 will bring more than 20 new jobs and will fill a gap in accommodations in the area. “I think we will see an increase in our lodging tax revenues, and that will mean more revenue coming to the city,” Fuller explained. “Sonny Wilson at Alexander City Parks and Recreation recruits sporting events to the sportplex, and this will be an attractive venue for him to bring people in. He’s got to have hotels where families and teams of children athletes can stay, and he’s had families stay in Sylacauga instead of coming to Alexander City.” With its spectacular beauty and some 23 event venues, the Lake Martin area has become a destination for weddings as well. While wedding parties frequently rent lake homes and stay in the area for several days, many guests plan a quicker trip, arriving in town the day before or the day of the event and leaving the day after. “About 60 percent of wedding guests come from outside our area. This hotel will give us another opportunity to accommodate that growing industry,” Fuller said. Manager at Alexander City’s The Orchard on Washington wedding and event center, Donna King 10 Lake Martin Living
said inquiries about local accommodations often are part of a bride’s interview when looking at wedding venues. “We can lodge people at The Orchard. Usually, it’s a family or a small group of friends or maybe the bride and groom want to spend the night instead of having to drive somewhere, but lodging is a question that people have,” King said. “ Everyone likes new and shiny, and for us to be able to say we have this nice, new Holiday Inn Express down the road that can house a large number of people, I think that will help the wedding industry here and our community as a whole.” Fishing tournament anglers also could make up a
