Salem Academy and College to open boutique hotel in historic building on campus
The Salem Academy building, which was constructed in 1930, will be renovated into a boutique hotel. Photo courtesy of Salem Academy and College
Salem Academy and College will be partnering with Mayfair Hospitality Group to renovate a nearly 100-year-old vacant educational building into a boutique hotel.
The project is expected to generate $1 million annually.
The hotel, which has yet to be named, will join the likes of The Inn at Elon, The Graylyn Estate affiliated with Wake Forest University and The Carolina Inn at UNC-Chapel Hill.
The renovated hotel will have 86 rooms. Those working on the project selected these photos as inspiration for the design. Image courtesy of Salem Academy and College
It will have 86 rooms, an onsite restaurant and a library lounge. But Salem Academy and College President Summer McGee says she hopes guests will get something else out of their stay — Salem’s story.
“We really look forward to ensuring that we preserve the history and use this building as a showcase for anyone who comes to the hotel to learn about Salem and what a richly historic and impactful institution we have been for girls and women in the educational space," McGee said.
The 80,000 square-foot building was constructed in 1930, and housed Salem Academy students up until 2020, when they were relocated to the college’s main campus.
McGee convened a task force of alumni and staff to reimagine the space after it became vacant. Because it had been a residential building, she says turning it into a hotel made sense. She also sees potential for students to be involved in the business.
The renovated hotel will feature an onsite restaurant and bar. Those working on the project selected these photos as inspiration for the design. Image courtesy of Salem Academy and College
“I think that this hotel presents a lot of wonderful opportunities, even curricular opportunities, to teach students about hospitality and tourism management, for students to get involved with the interior design planning that we will do over the next few years," McGee said. "So I think there will be great experiential learning opportunities, of course, employment opportunities for our students in the future."
The school's partner, Mayfair Hospitality Group, is the company behind Hotel Indigo in the historic Pepper Building in downtown Winston-Salem.
In the next few months, McGee says they’ll also select a national hotel chain to help manage operations.
The project is estimated to cost $30 million and open in 2027. Revenue from the hotel will be reinvested into scholarships for students as well as other initiatives.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.
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