The Draftsman Hotel, a new boutique hotel being built on West Main Street, is expected to open in the spring of 2018, according to a press release from the hotel Thursday.
The hotel derives its name from three Virginian founding fathers.
“The Draftsman Hotel was named for the three prominent Virginians who contributed to drafting the documents that are at the cornerstone of the country: Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence), James Madison (The Bill of Rights) and James Monroe (The Monroe Doctrine),” the press release said.
The hotel will be a competitor of other local hotels like the Graduate and the Omni Charlottesville. However, hotel staff have promised that it will provide an experience “exactly like nothing else.”
“It’s going to be incredibly well-done, well-planned,” General Manager JP Roberts said. “Rooms are going to be fantastic. The public spaces are going to be very unique and different [than] what’s on the market. But at the end of the day, people really like genuine hospitality and service, and that's what we’re going to deliver.”
The 10-story hotel will be located just a few blocks from Grounds, near the University Hospital and the Corner. It will have 150 guestrooms and suites, along with a farm-to-table restaurant, a fitness center, a business center, 2,050 square feet and three levels of parking.
According to Roberts, The Draftsman will currently accept reservations for dates 90 days after their expected opening of Feb. 28. As it gets closer to the opening date, the hotel will begin closing that window and accept reservations for dates for which they are confident they will be open.
Roberts said the Draftsman will be open for graduation weekend of 2018 “without question.”
“I'm incredibly confident that we will be open in time for U.Va.’s graduation,” Roberts said. “We won’t be taking reservations online … until after that, but were not concerned with that.”
The hotel is a part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection Hotels and is being built in partnership with Carr Companies and The Donohoe Companies, Inc.
City Council approved construction for the hotel in January 2015, after review began in 2014.
A report from the Virginia Tourism Corporation said the demand for hotels in Charlottesville has increased 10.2 percent since 2015. Roberts said the demand is part of the reason The Draftsman is opening.
“They look at different markets and they evaluate different markets … and all of the numbers … made complete sense to enter the market,” Roberts said. “A lot of it was kind of a numbers decision from my understanding, and knowing that Charlottesville's an incredible community with great people, why not?”
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