Nearly a full year ago, Columbus Underground asked the question, “Where are all the Boutique Hotels in Columbus“? The answer we’ve been hearing since then is that “They’re coming, they’re coming!”
For the longest time, The Lofts have pretty much held a monopoly on the boutique hotel scene downtown, with only a handful of small bed and breakfasts to offer them any sort of competition. But several ideas and concepts have emerged within the past year, including:
– In January, the owners of Yankee Trader decided to announce that they’re investigating the possibility of converting their building into a boutique hotel. Their location would probably serve them very well.
– In February, Pizzuti Co announced that they would be building a 10-story 160-room hotel in the Short North between High Street and Goodale Park. Just a few blocks north of Yankee Trader.
– And In June, a former OSU-Basketball-player-turned-developer announced that he was interested in building a boutique hotel concept near the corner of Gay & High. It would be replacing a current parking lot, and continue to add to the constantly developing Gay Street corridor.
Business First ran an article today about what it takes to develop a boutique hotel, the market factors at play, and specifically mentions a few details on these listed project. A short, yet interesting read for those who want to keep tabs on the independent hospitality industry in Columbus.