A hotel coming to the historic Empire building at the corner of 20th Street and First Avenue North has been renamed to pay homage to the founding of the city of Birmingham.
Ascent Hospitality, which has been developing the 1909 building into a Marriott hotel, announced this week that the name has been changed from The Empire Hotel to The Elyton Hotel.
Elyton was the name of one of the area towns that predated Birmingham, and the Elyton Land Co. helped develop Birmingham in the late 1800s.
“The name honors the early commerce, the early infrastructure that fed the big city,” said John Tampa, president of Ascent Hospitality Management Co. “People traveled to this region and saw the possibilities. And to this day, people travel here and see the possibilities. Birmingham’s recent revitalization makes it ripe for a new luxury hotel in downtown. The classical revival Empire building is a treasured landmark of Birmingham’s early days. The Elyton Hotel will honor Birmingham’s earliest commercial success and be an integral part of the growth to come.”
Information from Ascent Hospitality said The Elyton Hotel, along with The Yard restaurant and Moon Shine rooftop bar are scheduled to open this summer. You can read more about The Yard and Moon Shine here.
When complete, The Elyton Hotel will include 111 guest rooms, 6 suites, a 710-square-foot gym, and 4,000 square feet of meeting, social and special event space.
In addition to The Elyton Hotel, another new hotel is planned in the former Alagasco space on the same block as part of the development. That hotel will be a Fairfield Inn & Suites.
Story courtesy of Birmingham Business Journal, released on May 4, 2017