Groundwork OK’d for new Fairfield Inn

Published 10:18 am Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Site preparation is underway for a new Fairfield Inn Hotel and Suites behind El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant, at the end of Cypress Centre Boulevard off South Frontage Road.

Construction plans on file with the city’s Community Development Department call for a 47,554-square-foot structure with 86 rooms, 23 of them suites and five of them wheelchair-accessible. Construction costs are pegged at $2.8 million.

A permit for the ground work has been issued by the city, but no construction permit has been issued at this time, according to the city.

Chris Patel, who is listed as the contact for the project, declined to say what will happen to the present Fairfield Inn on Orme Drive near Wendy’s, or discuss the decision to build a new hotel.

The Fairfield Inn and Suites is the first hotel to be built in the city from the ground up since 2009. That year, Courtyard by Marriott, on Berryman Road by the Comfort Suites, and Candlewood Suites on South Frontage Road by The Home Depot, were completed.

Vicksburg has 30 hotels with a total of 2,330 rooms.

The Fairfield brand was developed in the 1980s by Marriott International as the worldwide chain’s economy line of hotels. There were 692 units in the brand as of the first quarter of 2013, according to the Marriott website.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.