Windsor Aughtry Hotel Group held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 20, to mark the start of construction on a new eight-story, 135-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel and Starbucks at 260 Third Street in downtown Baton Rouge.
Those speaking at the ceremony included Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, along with Windsor Aughtry Chairman and CEO Paul C. “Bo” Aughtry III and Downtown Development District Director Davis Rhorer.
The Courtyard by Marriott represents a $23.6 million investment. It is expected to open in late 2017 with an anticipated staff of 50 full-time and 10 part-time employees. The hotel will include approximately 80,000 square feet of space with a Starbucks on the ground level.
The Courtyard by Marriott is Windsor Aughtry’s second Baton Rouge hotel development, in addition to the Hampton Inn & Suites on Lafayette Street. Hospitality America Inc. manages both properties.
“Our investment in Baton Rouge is a testament to the city’s job of revitalizing the downtown area and its success in expanding the local tourism industry,” says Bo Aughtry. “It’s a vibrant market, and we’re fortunate to be a part of it.”
Windsor Aughtry purchased the Third Street property, which operated as a parking lot, for $2.25 million in 2016 from Gordon LeBlanc and Moffett LeBlanc Strain, who are local investors in the Courtyard by Marriott project.
The property is the site of the former Istrouma Hotel, which served as the city’s first downtown hotel. Built in 1903, the Istrouma closed in 1961 and was eventually razed in 1969.
The new hotel was designed by Bounds & Gillespie Architects and is being built by Alexandria-based Ratcliff Construction Company.