CHAPEL HILL – In mid-August, Carrboro will welcome its first hotel, a Hampton Inn & Suites located at 300 E. Main Street.

Targeted to open on August 15, the hotel will not only bring accommodations for people visiting, but also provide jobs to boost the economy. Principal owner of the hotel, Manish Atma, says that the hotel and its retail section could provide up to 175 jobs.

“The hotel will have approximately forty to fifty positions from janitorial positions to management positions,” says Atma. “The retail space will eventually have between a hundred and a hundred twenty-five positions.”

Atma says he is expecting all types of guests to use the 142 rooms–parents visiting their children, sports fans, UNC programs, wedding parties, churches, and the local community of Orange County.

Community and Economic Development Director, Annette Stone, says she agrees that people want to stay in Carrboro, so the hotel will bring a strong economic benefit to the town.

“Folks want to stay in Carrboro and this is the first hotel to be built in Carrboro,” says Stone. “It’s at a good price point. They’re having some really good success in booking events and booking rooms. I think people want to be in Carrboro.”

Stone says the prices for the hotel are reasonable, ranging from $129 to $189 per room. The hotel includes studio suites, partner suites, and standard rooms with king or queen beds.

Atma says peak times will see a little boost in prices.

“During special events, like football weekends and graduation, the rooms are a little bit more expensive,” says Atma.

He says the price comes with the many amenities that the hotel offers.

“It’s a unique Hampton Inn,” says Atma. “We do have a second floor pool with cabanas, a fire pit, gas grills. We have a three-thousand square foot meeting room. The hotel offers a free hot breakfast, free high speed internet, a thousand square foot fitness center, board room, and great service.”

The hotel will bring people in to support businesses in Downtown Carrboro, like the new restaurant and sports bar Hickory Tavern located next to the hotel. Stone says that the hotel will be a huge economic benefit to Carrboro.

“Visitors spend dollars,” says Stone. “They will contribute to the restaurants and the shops and help put folks in stores in our downtown.”

The hotel will expand Carrboro’s commercial tax base, a goal of the Board of Alderman. As a result, Stone says Carrboro residents could see tax benefits.

“The new hotel is estimated to be valued at about $15 million,” says Stone. Certainly, that will add to the tax base for the town with the commercial and the retail, which is the goal of the Board of Alderman, to increase the commercial base for the community to help offset the tax rates that are here to ease the burden on the residents.”

For more information on the Atma Hotel Group and the Hampton Inn & Suites, click here.