Hyatt Place Hotel Hangs In Balance As Augusta Commission Prepares TEE Center Vote

Augusta, GA—The Augusta Common area would be the home for the new Hyatt Place Hotel, but now the worry is this hotel will be checking out.

“We’re one community; we all need to be about each other I think losing the Hyatt would be a great mistake,” said Augusta resident Fernando Ward.

“Obviously we wouldn’t want to lose out on a big hotel chain coming into downtown Augusta and helping to further the downtown development,” said Thomas Sherrouse.

The proposed Hyatt location is less than a block from the proposed TEE Center, and developers have let commissioners know the Hyatt can’t move forward without the TEE Center.

“I talked to the developer of the hotel yesterday I’m all in support of putting people to work building our tax base and it’s really going to be a benefit,” said Commissioner Joe Jackson.

Since May, Commissioners have been fighting over the TEE Center, unable to agree on a funding plan. It needs another $18 million, but that could change, next week, when Commissioner Jackson asks Commissioners to again vote in favor of the TEE Center.

“It’s going to put people to work you look at the financial impact of the TEE Center and the Hyatt wanting to build it’s going to put a lot of people to work,” said Jackson.

But, Commissioners need to work out difference on the TEE Center before the project is approved. For more than three months, there’s been no action, but now, hanging over the next vote, is the possible loss of the downtown Hyatt.

But, Commissioner J.R.Hatney says he doesn’t feel any pressure that that not voting for the TEE Center will mean losing the Hyatt.

“I don’t see how we could lose the Hyatt, when they already know the TEE Center is going to be built, if they need a letter from us saying the TEE Center is going to be built we would be glad to sign,” said Hatney.