FOLEY – The number of hotels in Foley continues to increase as the city draws more visitors.
On Wednesday, Aug. 16, developers broke ground on the newest hotel planned for Foley, the 107-room Fairfield Inns and Suites by Marriott being developed by A&R Group of Gulf Shores.
The hotel on Alabama 59 south of Miflin Road will join other facilities being built in Foley, such as the 73-room Cobblestone Hotel being constructed near the Foley Farmers and Fishermen’s Market.
Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the growing number of hotels and restaurants not only helps the economy, but also city services.
“It’s all very important to us because the way that we take care of our citizens is through those taxes that we earn on sales taxes and lodging taxes,” Hellmich said.
Even before the new hotels open, Foley lodging taxes for the first nine months of the fiscal year, through June 2023, had increased 3% over the same period the year before.
Hellmich said more new businesses are also being planned.
“We’re going to continue to do projects,” he said. “There are restaurants opening up all over the place. There are new major retailers coming to Foley.”
Garfield Campbell, president of A&R Hospitality Management, said the new hotel will provide jobs for local residents including many who will be trained in the field..
“When we build this hotel, probably 90% of the staff will be from this very town,” Campbell said “Of that, 50% will have probably never worked in a hotel before.”
The Fairfield Inn is scheduled to open in 18 months.