Concord, Beaufort JV Breaks Ground on NC Hotel

By Keith Loria

Rendering of Beaufort Hotel

Concord Hospitality Enterprises Co. and Beaufort Hospitality Enterprises have broken ground on a 133-key hotel, part of the Ascend Hotel Collection, in Beaufort, N.C. Opening is expected in 2018.

The three-story inn is an expansion of an already existing Front Street Village development and will include four waterfront suites overlooking Taylor’s Creek. The 30,488-square-foot, two-story Beaufort Hotel will provide 8,444 square feet of meeting space and a 9,500-square-foot restaurant, dubbed 34° North.

“The construction of Beaufort Hotel and 34° North is a great step forward for the tourism and economic development on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast,” Bucky Oliver, Beaufort Hospitality Enterprises co-founder, said in a prepared statement. “With this new property comes 100 new jobs and additional revenue for the area. We look forward to seeing the hotel attract additional tourists to the region.”

Concord Hospitality will manage the property, while Live Oak Bank of Wilmington will finance the project.

“With our headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., this hotel is part of our extended hometown, an area in which we have operated for more than three decades,” added Mark Laport, Concord’s president & CEO. “This marks our eighth property in the state, and we look forward to being good neighbors and active members of the community for years to come.”

A Unique Brand

The Ascend Collection is comprised of historic, boutique and unique hotels that cater to guests seeking an experiential, individualized travel experience that gives them a true sense of local flavor.

In total, there are 235 Ascend hotels open or under development worldwide, with 45 set to open in 2017.