Officials break ground for new hotel

Excavation is underway for the construction of a new hotel in Harrogate.

Officials with the City of Harrogate, Claiborne County government and the Claiborne Economic Partnership joined developer Maneesh Naydu for the official groundbreaking for a Comfort Inn & Suites on Thursday.

The hotel will be constructed near the site of the former Oasis restaurant and the property will front both U.S. Highway 25E and Londonderry Road.

Naydu said the site will be ready for construction to begin within the next three months and the projected opening of the hotel is for March of 2027. Plans are for a four-story hotel that is 40,000 square feet with 72 rooms.

The hotel construction is phase one of the project with future plans to build a 300-seat convention center and restaurant on site. The third phase of the project includes the construction of a shopping center and a private apartment building adjacent to the hotel parking lot.

Harrogate Mayor Troy Poore said the hotel will be a boon to the city economically.

“Just guessing, I’d say it probably means $75,000 to $80,000 per year just in hotel/motel tax. Then whatever else gets added around it because we have the hotel will add sales tax revenue and everything starts to expand,” he said. “Whenever the restaurant gets built — there will be sales tax off of that, whatever the sales are. It’s a big thing for the city, it really is.”

Naydu and Poore were joined by Vice-Mayor Kenneth West along with other aldermen and members of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission at Thursday’s ground breaking. Also on hand were County Mayor Joe Brooks and County Commissioners Steve Mason, Rosemary Barnett, Carolyn Brooks and Sherry McCreary along with Karyn Clark and members of the Claiborne Economic Partnership.

“This is going to make a huge economic impact, not just for Harrogate but for the entire county, so we’re really excited,” said Karyn Clark of the Claiborne Economic Partnership. “It’s going to be great for LMU but it’s also going to be great for tourism. We’re going to encourage people that are coming to the lake or to Cumberland Gap to stay at the hotel.”