Poised to open later this month, The Lawrence—a new boutique hotel in downtown Lawrenceville, Ga., which will be part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton—illustrates the potential return on investment for both hotel investors and brands in ‘small town’ or tertiary markets.
The property will have 120 guestrooms and suites, as well as more than 6,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, a fitness center and open-air courtyard. Two dining concepts include a signature restaurant known as Bellfire—which will serve Mediterranean and Southern fare—as well as Old Nick’s Bar and Lounge.
The ground-up project—which is being developed and operated by Greg Winey as founder and sole principal of Northpointe Hospitality Management and Development—will be the only boutique hotel in the Atlanta suburb of Gwinnett County. Winey noted he expects the 120-room hotel to “really take off” when it makes its debut this summer.
Winey—who is also founder/CEO of Sugar Hill, Ga.-based affiliated management firm Northpointe Hospitality and has lived in nearby Suwanee for nearly 30 years—emphasized that this is very a “local story” as he outlined what he expects the property to represent.
“When my guests come out of this hotel they're going to feel the love of this small town, as well as some good old southern charm and southern hospitality. You don't get that vibe everywhere,” he said.
Winey—who describes the historic town with a population of a little more than 30,000 as “incredibly walkable”— further detailed the dynamics of the local market and potential differentiators for the property.
GEM Markets
“We call this a GEM [government, education, medical] market, first and foremost, with robust leisure activity as well. A lot of the hotels in this town are located at busy intersections and certainly don't have the charm that this hotel has,” he noted.
To be sure, the debut of The Lawrence has been a long time in the making—some eight years to be exact. Initial design concepts and planning began in 2018 before financing issues arose as a direct result of the COVID pandemic. In 2020, an adjacent parking deck was completed for the hotel, which would eventually begin construction in early 2025 after Winey transferred his leasehold ownership of the property to the city.
“This is not institutional money, this is local money and they're investing in themselves. That's what I love about the project,” he said. Winey further added the support from the city and Downtown Development Authority was critical in getting this project completed. “I’ve been lucky enough to have great partners with the city, who are all aligned.”
Barriers to Entry
Another thing Winey loves about it is the high barriers of entry to the market, which he expects to limit new supply coming in, at least in the immediate area. He stressed that ensuring such market conditions are very much by design.
“Every hotel that we have is near impossible, if not impossible, to build next to, including the Lawrence. We take the long road on development,” he said, adding he expects the hotel to command a rate of roughly $200 a night.
Winey acknowledged that entering smaller or tertiary markets such as Lawrenceville is also a viable strategy for large brand companies seeking new areas to plant their respective flags as well. He added that Northpointe was “one of the early adopters of boutique soft brands” recognizing their potential to boost the bottom line.
Winey specifically cited the Partridge Inn in Augusta, Ga.—one of the five hotels currently operated by Northpointe Hospitality—as a prime example of how rebranding an independent hotel can add value. The 100-plus-year-old building was restructured and renovated as it became part of the Curio Collection by Hilton.
Winey further added the company was “one of the early onboarders with Tapestry,” noting that when the deal to build The Lawrence was initially signed there were only a handful of properties within the Hilton soft brand, which has since expanded to include more than 200 hotels.
Meanwhile, in naming the soon-to-open boutique hotel, Winey opted for a simple, straightforward approach. The city of Lawrenceville was named after Captain James Lawrence, a naval war hero of 1812. “I thought ‘The Lawrence’ just dignified the city. It sounded very regal and it represents a rebirth for the city,” he said.
Finally, Winey implored hoteliers going forward to look beyond the major metropolitan areas or markets located near the U.S. Interstate system to find some of the smaller markets rife with opportunity.
“I will say don't give up on small-town America, this is the future of our country and I think it embodies the true spirit of what made this country. We need to go back to it and honor it,” he concluded.