New Hampton Inn in Fondren means big business for retail in Jackson MS
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- A new $25 million Hampton Inn is planned for the Fondren district of Jackson, Mississippi.
- The 111-room boutique-style hotel will feature first-floor retail and dining space.
- Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026 after delays due to the water crisis and economy.
- This project is one of several new developments in the area, including a mixed-use building by Duvall Decker Architecture.
Business is booming in the Fondren district of Jackson, and the newest development in the hip and funky area proves the point.
Ground is expected to be broken on a $25 million 111-room boutique-style Hampton Inn with first-floor retail and dining space along State Street between the Station pizza restaurant and Pig and Pint BBQ during the first quarter of 2026.
The development was originally slated to get off the ground a couple of years ago, but the Jackson water crisis, and other factors, including the recent economy caused the delay.
Chico Patel, CEO of Wealth Hospitality, which is spearheading the project, also built the 125-room Homewood Suites, just down the street and also in the Fondren District.
So there will be two hotels within walking distance that combine for nearly 240 rooms and almost $50 million in investment in the last several years for Fondren.
It is the second of many new announcements coming for the business district.
Another big announcement in Fondren
Just last week, Duvall Decker Architecture made a big splash in Fondren, and it shouldn’t take long to see the results.
The architectural firm is building on the site of the former Kolb’s Cleaners at the corner of Mitchell and State Street on a 22,000 square foot energy-efficient, mass timber mixed-use development.
That project will mean that there will be a complete line of retail that will connect Homewood Suites on one end of Fondren to the new Hampton.
What makes this Hampton Inn different than others?
Patel originally had plans for wood construction for the Hampton, but during the delay had adjusted to panelized, metal building.
“This will be a very upscale Hampton,” Patel said during the October Fondren Business Improvement District Annual Meeting. “It will probably be one of the most modern-looking Hampton properties in the South. Hampton actually came out with a new prototype, and this hotel will be one of the first to have an upscale boutique feel.”
He said the new hotel will have a modern “art-deco” feel. The first floor will have retail space in which Patel hopes to have a restaurant as well.
“With our other hotel, plus this 111-room hotel, you are looking at 250 built-in customers that are coming into Fondren,” Patel said. “We perform very well at the Homewood with near 90% occupancy, which is unheard of in the hotel industry. We are very excited for this new hotel, which will be a limited service for this brand.”
Patel and Wealth Hospitality also own and developed the 108-room Holiday Inn Express in Ridgeland, which was completed in spring 2024 at a cost of $16 million.
Wealth Hospitality mainly works with Hilton, Hyatt and IHG for development.
Patel said his company has built more than 70 hotels nationwide the last 10 years and has another 40, including the one in Fondren and a couple of more in the Jackson Metro area, in the pipeline to be built very soon.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
