Madison County has given final approval to a conference center that will be developed alongside a 250-room Dolce by Wyndham hotel at Prado Vista in Ridgeland, Miss.
The combined project represents an estimated $120 million investment. Jackson, Miss.-based PraCon Global Investment Group CEO and president Gabriel Prado said the company plans to develop the conference center and hotel at Prado Vista.
The hotel will operate under the Dolce by Wyndham flag and will be the brand’s first property in Mississippi. The hotel is planned to include multiple dining venues and will be integrated with the conference center and the broader Prado Vista development, which currently includes Topgolf.
"We believe this hotel has the potential to become a signature hospitality destination for Mississippi and the broader region, pairing the strength of Dolce with a conference center designed to welcome major events and memorable gatherings,” Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said in a statement.
The Madison County Conference Center will be the county’s first dedicated conference facility and is expected to accommodate up to 1,800 attendees. The project is designed to host conferences, corporate meetings, banquets, trade shows and regional events that previously required organizers to use venues outside the county.
The conference center will be financed through an urban-renewal bond structure, while PraCon will privately finance construction of the adjoining hotel. As part of the public-private financing arrangement, approximately $18.9 million in tourism rebate proceeds will be directed toward repayment of conference-center construction debt.
“This conference center changes the landscape of Madison County. It's not just a building; it's a recruitment tool that helps us compete for corporate relocations, conventions and investment we simply couldn't pursue before. This is exactly the kind of infrastructure that sets Madison County apart,” said Joseph Deason, Madison County Economic Development Authority executive director.