A new Peabody Hotel is no longer coming to Roanoke, the city announced Friday.
The famous Peabody Hotel, built in 1869 in Memphis, is known for its history, charm and its resident ducks, who march through the lobby twice daily. The Peabody Hotel agreement, formalized at a 2019 city council meeting, was first announced in 2017. The Roanoke location was supposed to be the Peabody’s second hotel location, and was supposed to have 300 rooms, 25,000 square feet of meeting space, two restaurants and a spa.
The Peabody Roanoke development was delayed during the covid pandemic in 2020, “and it could not regain momentum to get back on track, bypassing its 2023 groundbreaking deadline,” so the city ended its partnership with the hotel, according to a news release from the city of Roanoke.
“The Peabody partnership was dissolved after a number of evolving factors,” shares City Manager Cody Petree. “The global pandemic and financial impacts for the developer contributed to the dissolution, and unfortunately, the approved plan could no longer move forward.”
The City Council recently approved a partnership with Garfield Public/Private LLC for a signature/boutique-style hotel and convention center in the same space where the Peabody was supposed to go, next to Roanoke City Hall on South Oak Street. That project “is the final piece in the city’s strategic development plan for the downtown area,” the city said in a statement.
“The choice to change course for the Roanoke convention hotel is absolutely the best and right decision for the city and the citizens of Roanoke,” said Mayor Scooter Gierisch. “It has provided the city with an opportunity to investigate further our options as well as re-evaluate the terms from the previous opportunity. We remain focused on creating a unique and authentic sense of place and are excited to see what is to come.”
According to the Peabody Hotel’s website, it is planning new locations in Las Vegas and California.
