LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)-- Earlier today, Downtown Lafayette is set to welcome its first full-service hotel, Hotel Lafayette, which broke ground.

The $19 million project will feature 83 rooms and is located at the corner of Taylor and Vermilion Street. This development is expected to bring a new look and energy to the area, contributing to the growth of Downtown Lafayette.

"This is just an exciting day for Lafayette, and I'm hoping that this becomes a springboard for other projects to come throughout Lafayette," said Lafayette City Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux.

Designed with influences from tiki culture, the Caribbean, and native Louisiana swamps, Hotel Lafayette will also house Bayou Teche Brewery in a 4,500 square foot event space.

Joseph Thrash of the Thrash Group, the developers behind the hotel, expressed their goal to integrate with the local community and enhance the cultural experience for visitors.

"I think the goal is just to be a part of the community, like a part. Everybody says that, but we really do want to be local," Thrash stated.

The Downtown Development Authority, along with developers, investors, and community leaders, are enthusiastic about the project's potential benefits for the city, particularly the downtown area.

The development of Hotel Lafayette is anticipated to fill a void in the downtown area, providing a unique cultural and hospitality experience that aligns with the city's growth and development goals.

"Feeding off of that energy has just made us even more excited to do it. All we're doing is trying to bring a special project to a place that I think was already kind of screaming for it. And so we're just we're filling a void that I think was already there." Thrash said.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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