Construction of new oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach delayed

The planned Homewood Suites Oceanfront Resort & Conference Center will open a year later than originally planned after delays in starting construction.

Scheduling conflicts pushed the planned start of construction from late last year to the spring then to July. But the developers don’t want to start construction during the height of the summer tourist season, so it now is set to start in October, said Tom Moore, general manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites Oceanfront, which will be connected to the new Homewood.

Construction will take about 14 months, putting the hotel’s opening into spring 2017, a year later than originally planned.

One large group that had already booked rooms and meeting space in the new Homewood has had to shift plans because of the delay, Moore said. The Hampton Inn doesn’t have enough meeting space to accommodate the group.

“They wanted to be on board the first year,” Moore said. “They were really excited to come but now we had to push them back … Normally we couldn’t have had it here because there’s not enough meeting space.”

The Homewood to be built next to the Hampton will have a 300-seat conference center, an amenity officials have said is key to luring more group business to the Grand Strand and growing the area’s tourism industry, especially during the fall and spring.

The planned $25 million Homewood also will have three pools, a firepit, fitness center, a pilates-aerobics room for women and a bistro that will serving sandwiches and snacks. It will have 100 suites, a mix of two-bedroom, one-bedroom and studios, all with kitchens and private balconies.

It’s one of several new lodging projects along Myrtle Beach’s oceanfront — the first that have emerged since construction came to an abrupt stop during the Great Recession, which left an oversupply of rooms.

The 24-story Hilton Grand Vacations Club timeshare tower near 22nd Avenue North is scheduled to open this summer.

Another project, a 23-story, 252-unit hotel at 17th Avenue North, is working through the city’s approval process.

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 8:19 PM with the headline "Construction of new oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach delayed."