University and city representatives celebrated the completion of the roof of The Hotel at the University of Maryland on Friday, the next stage in the construction of what officials said will be a cornerstone for new development in College Park.
The nine-story luxury hotel, a $140 million project, received state approval in August 2014 and is slated to open in spring 2017. The university, city and county have worked closely with developer Southern Management Corporation on the project, which university President Wallace Loh said will pave the way for further growth for the city.
“What an incredible occasion,” Loh said. “Much has been said and I am the one repeat it. This is a great project. It is a canvas for the development of College Park and Prince George’s County.”
Loh and other officials spoke at the construction site Friday to a crowd of more than 100 people, including construction workers and university alumni.
Prince George’s County Councilwoman Dannielle M. Glaros said she cannot wait for the hotel to finally open.
“I’m elated,” Glaros said. “The quality of the project does not only benefit College Park, but it will also benefit Prince George’s County. I think that this hotel will spur more investments because of the types of business that would be inside the hotel.”
The Hotel will also include a conference center and will house businesses such as Red Door Spa, steak and seafood restaurant Old Maryland Grill, Greek restaurant Kapnos Taverna and others, according to The Hotel’s website.
The completed site will bring about 400 more jobs and employ about 600 people, Glaros said, which she noted would bring growth to the county and create a more vibrant College Park.
“It definitely brings revenue to the city,” Glaros said. “This hotel will help anchor a growing and vibrant community.”
A university news release from April 12 predicted The Hotel will create 1,637 jobs.
Rushern L. Baker III, Prince George’s County executive, said the county has been waiting for a conference center like this at the university, noting that “a top-notch university deserves it.”
“We are going to get the finest hotel-conference center that has ever been built here in the history of Prince George’s County,” Baker said.
David Hillman, Southern Management Corporation chairman and CEO, said he hopes that with The Hotel, more guests and visitors will be staying in the city rather than finding accommodations elsewhere.
“The University of Maryland generates a lot of attraction over the year, and most of the people end up going somewhere else to stay,” Hillman said. “We are hoping to keep some of that money here in Prince George’s County.”
Loh said the large number of visitors to the university each year contributes to the importance of The Hotel.
“For the University of Maryland, we have over 300,000 visitors a year,” he said. “There is no place for them to stay. They stay in D.C. or Annapolis. Now they can stay here. We have maybe 300 conferences a year, and there is no place to host them, so they have the conferences in Washington, and now this can all be here.”
