Roanoke officially broke ground on its new hotel and convention center, and revealed the hotel’s partner brand at the same time.
The Cade Hotel will be a Hilton hotel with a convention center, the city announced at the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon.
“Today, we are doing much more than turning dirt,” said Roanoke Mayor Scooter Gierisch. “We are celebrating a vision, we are celebrating perseverance and, most importantly, we are celebrating what can happen when a community believes in its future and is willing to do the hard work necessary to make that future a reality.”
It will be located at 600 South Oak Street, near the city’s vibrant downtown.
Construction started in August on the hotel and convention center, which is expected to to have 205 guest rooms.
The city believes the project is a big step in the right direction for Roanoke’s anticipated downtown development.
Funding for the project came from the state’s Qualified Hotel Project program, which allows cities to receive rebates of state hotel occupancy taxes and the state’s 6.25% sales tax.
According to city officials, the sales tax rebate associated with the project can be received for a decade.
“That represents an incredible opportunity for our community and an example of finding creative ways to invest in Roanoke’s future,” said Gierisch. “Development creates momentum, investment creates confidence and success creates opportunity.”
It was also funded through the citizens of Roanoke, who voted to approve a $62 million bond in May 2025 that funded the construction of the convention center.
According to Gierisch, the convention center will be publicly-owned while the hotel is privately owned and operated by Hilton.
“To the citizens that participated in that election, thank you,” he said. “Your voice helped move this project from a vision on paper to the ground we are standing on today.”
Roanoke’s project didn’t come easy. The city had to work through some setbacks in addition to years of planning, but Gierisch commended the previous councils and staff members for sticking to it and delivering the project for the city and its residents.
“This moment did not happen overnight, projects of this magnitude never do,” he said. “It has taken years of hard work, dedication, patience, difficult conversations, careful planning and a willingness to keep moving even when the path was not always clear or easy.”
