Frampton Construction Company, a regional full-service construction firm providing planning and design support, preconstruction, construction services and sustainability services throughout the Carolinas, is underway on construction of the Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites Summerville and Lowcountry Event & Conference Center in Summerville, S.C. The facility will be the largest and tallest of its kind in the Summerville area, with the accompanying event and conference center fulfilling a need for meeting, training and accommodation space in the burgeoning business corridor.
Frampton Construction was selected by developer Lowcountry Hotels and partnered with project architect Bounds, Gillespie, Killebrew, Tushek, to design, plan and build the 208,828-square-foot facility. The hotel and conference center will be located on a 6.1-acre site in the Nexton community, at the corner of Sigma Drive and Edge Street.
“It was apparent to us that there was a need not just for a hotel in this market, but for event and conference space, and I believe we’ve found the perfect location, the perfect hotel brands and the perfect mix by including the conference space in this development,” Daniel Blumenstock, director of hotels at Lowcountry Hotels, said during a groundbreaking ceremony held June 28.
Consisting of 250 guestrooms, the eight-story hotel will measure 93 feet in height, making it the tallest building in Summerville and Berkeley County. Amenities are set to include a full-service restaurant, bar and lounge, resort-style pool with cabana, several outdoor green spaces, a workout facility and a business center.
“We’re honored to be part of one of the most significant private developments in Berkeley County and humbled by the confidence Lowcountry Hotels and the Fennell family have shown in the Frampton team,” Chad Frampton, president of Frampton Construction, said in a statement.
The dual-brand concept caters to both select service and extended stay hotel customers through one property by pairing two distinctly branded hotels under the same roof while consolidating guest amenity spaces and back-of-house-operations for maximum efficiency.
A two-story conference center with 14,000 square feet of meeting space will connect to the hotel. Keeping the area’s growing automobile manufacturing industry in mind, the conference center’s first floor will include a back entryway suited for vehicle access and more than 7,000 square feet of uninterrupted space large enough to showcase automobiles. Folding walls will allow this area to be separated into three smaller conference rooms as needed. The second floor will house six additional meeting rooms.
“We are excited to begin construction of this formidable project that will take a tremendous team effort. Over the next 20 months, our team will manage an estimated 500 construction trade workers who will put in place approximately 8,000 cubic yards of concrete, 1,500 tons of steel, 1,750 gallons of paint, and over 350,000 square feet of drywall,” Frampton said in a statement.
Construction of the property is expected to be completed early 2020.