Home2 Suites by Hilton on Frontage Road has added another 97 hotel suites to the Meridian area. 

The Queen City has welcomed a number of hotels in the past several years, and more are expected in the near future.

“We have 1.32 million cars a month come through on [Interstate] 120/59,” said Lauderdale County Tourism Director Dede Mogollon. “It’s a great midpoint between Dallas and Atlanta.

“We’re seeing more and more people coming through and learning a little more about our community and staying rather than just passing through.”

The Home2 Suites, owned by Meridian-based Lala Enterprises, held a grand opening event on Thursday afternoon. The hotel, which offers extended stay suites, is located next door to IHOP restaurant, near the Holiday Inn Express, all of which are owned by Lala.

“The construction going on in the area is bringing more people into Meridian,” said Home2 Suites general manager Tara Ervin. “We offer the advantage of having an apartment for a short time — there’s not many places you can get a three-month lease. If you’re looking for a temporary home, we can be that home for you.”

Ervin said the hotel, which opened on June 26, is averaging about 60 percent occupancy on a weekly basis.

“The Hilton name helps us a lot, and the interstate helps a lot, too,” she said “We’re getting some staying two or three nights being so close to the interstate.”

Also on the horizon for Meridian are the Tru by Hilton hotel and a La Quinta Inn and Suites, both Heritage Hospitality Group projects.

The Tru by Hilton will be located at 519 Azalea Drive — the old Crescent City Grill. The 86-room hotel is expected to open later this year.

Further information about the La Quinta project was not available at the time of this report.

Other forthcoming projects include the Threefoot building, which is slated to be renovated into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel with at least 120 rooms.

As of Thursday, no announcement has been made about the project’s progress.

“They have received approvals for demotion and they should be starting any day now,” Mogollon said.

John Tampa, president of Ascent Hospitality Management LLC, took possession of the historic building Jan. 6, 2016.

The facility will also have a restaurant that will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a Starbucks coffee shop. Ascent is committed to spending at least $14 million to renovate the 16-story building.

According to Mogollan said in a previous report that East Mississippi had the highest occupancy rate in the state in 2016.

The occupancy rate for the Meridian and east Mississippi region was 61.9 percent — 1.8 percent higher than the next busiest region, and 4.8 percent over the state average. 

Meridian has more than 2,000 hotel rooms and more are on the way. Tourism is supported by a hotel occupancy tax of 2.5 percent, visitor spending and sales tax on non-hotel related spending. The occupancy tax brings in $800,000 per year, while tourist spending brings in an additional $425,000 in sales tax on hotel rooms and an estimated $1.4 million in sales tax on non-hotel related spending, according to the tourism office.

Editor’s note: In the original publication of this story, The Meridian Star incorrectly reported that the new Tru hotel and LaQuinta hotel projects in Meridian are being developed by MY Hospitality Investments, LLC. The correct information, which is reflected in this updated article, is that the projects are Heritage Hospitality Group projects and not associated with Lala Enterprises.