Venue should be open to the public by end of this year
The Mississippi-based owners of Hotel Morgan on High Street said the venue could be open to the general public by the end of this year, or early next year at the latest.
Walker Thrash, a partner in the Thrash Group of Hattiesburg, which purchased the hotel a year ago for $2.5 million, said they have hired both a general manager and a director of sales.
“Construction is progressing and we’re pinpointing an opening date,” Thrash said.
The 8-floor hotel will have a two-story ballroom that can accommodate more than 200 people, 81 refinished guest rooms and two suites, a conference room, a board room, rooftop event space and a state-of-the-art fitness center. It will also have a cocktail bar and restaurant called Anvil + Ax, described as a combination European coffee shop meets refined cocktail bar. It will be open at 6:30 a.m. daily and service dinner up until 10 p.m., also daily.
Each loft-style hotel room will have a chaise lounge, retro refrigerators, a custom wardrobe and upscale bathroom. Rooms will begin on the third floor of the building.
When completed with renovations, which come to five times the purchase price, Hotel Morgan will have a red door facing High Street. And the hotel stairway will keep its 800-pound chandelier, as well as three private phone booths and a reading area.
The lobby and check-in area will feature a mosaic-style floor and lots of dark wood. A bakery, bar, and specialty coffee area, as well as a general store are planned for the first floor.
The hotel – named after city founder Zackquill Morgan – was constructed in 1925. During its nearly 100 years of existence, the hotel has hosted Eleanor Roosevelt in 1934; President Harry Truman in 1954, and was a campaign stop for John Kennedy in 1960.
