Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1466725
APRIL/MAY 2022 | maconmagazine.com 33 H oteliers had been breaking Macon's heart for decades with promises of a downtown hotel. With each announcement, hopes ran high but were dashed repeatedly. Then, on Jan. 25, local leaders and hotel officials cut the ribbon on Macon's long-awaited prize, a first-class hotel in Macon's historic central business district. Finally, the hotel gods had smiled down on Macon with Hotel Forty Five, a joint venture between award-winning Mainsail Lodging and IDP Properties, one of 30 hotels in Marriott's Tribute Portfolio, a constellation of singular properties "bound by their indie spirit and heart for connecting people and places." Tribute bills itself as a growing, global family of characterful, independent hotels based on three pillars: captivating design, sincere service and vibrant indoor and outdoor social spaces. Each property has a point of view designed to captivate travelers and locals. For Hotel Forty Five, it's the triad of Macon's rich history, legendary music and prime location next door to the City Auditorium. And, as hotel executives pointedly admit, their whole operation is as dedicated to locals as to out-of-town guests. According to Director of Sales Jimmy Teixeira, "Appealing to locals is a corporate philosophy." SELLING MACON AND HOTEL FORTY FIVE Hotel Forty Five is steps away from downtown restaurants, clubs and shops, and mere minutes from major interstate thoroughfares. Take that, Atlanta! For Teixeira, that convenience is a huge advantage. "Our location is one of our biggest selling points. We're right in the middle of everything," he said. Gary Wheat, president and CEO of Visit Macon, called Hotel Forty Five a game changer, noting its consequentiality on several fronts. "It changes our strategic plan for the future," Wheat said. "The location opens up a new market for selling Macon and downtown, puts new tools in our tool chest and gives us a meeting component we didn't have. Previously, the City Auditorium had no walkability from a hotel, making it hard to put meetings and events there." Hotel Forty Five is a new offering for Macon's leisure or transient travelers, the market segment in which Wheat expects the biggest growth and impact. "Now, visitors can get a room, park their car and walk around downtown to see live music, shows, music history and sample our local downtown restaurants," he said.