Junto hotel hopes to be the heart of Franklinton’s $250 million … – The Columbus Dispatch

A new hotel called The Junto is preparing to open in Franklinton, marking a key moment in the $250 million development called The Peninsula.

With 198 rooms, a coffee shop, a bar, two restaurants, a walkup food window and multiple event and meeting spaces, The Junto is designed to be the beating heart of the Peninsula's first phase.

Which helps explain the hotel's unusual name. No, it does not refer to a military takeover of Franklinton (that would be "junta"). Instead, Junto, pronounced "joon-tow," refers to a club founded by Ben Franklin in 1727 to gather people to improve society.

To encourage them on that mission today, all guests will find in their rooms the book "No Idea is Final," a 400-page collection of quotes from the online interview magazine "The Talks."

The Junto offers a variety of spaces to try out the quotes including:

The Junto also has empty space designed for a second restaurant to lease. With the exception of that space and Little West Tavern, all dining and drinking spots are expected to be ready when The Junto opens in time for Memorial Day.

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In addition, The Junto includes nearly 14,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a ballroom with a dedicated kitchen that can seat 180 for dinner.

Other hotel amenities include a gym, patio, working spaces and the "Gear Garage," where hotel guests can borrow toys for the day including bicycles, kayaks, paddleboards, instant cameras, backpacks and GoPro video cameras.

Rooms come in 13 variations, including standard king rooms starting at $279 a night, multiple suite variations (including one layout with bunk beds) and a 1,200-square-foot one-bedroom apartment that rents for up to $2,000 a night. Many rooms come with a window seat large enough to double as a child's bed.

The Junto is an independent hotel developed by Columbus-based Rockbridge, under the company's Makeready division. This is Makeready's first Columbus hotel, following hotels in Savannah, Charleston, Nashville, Denver and Dallas. The company is planning a second hotel in the Merchant Building underway next to the North Market.

The Junto hopes to capitalize on a rebound in the hospitality industry, which was crushed during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, said Jason Delcamp, a former manager of Makeready's Denver hotel who moved to Columbus to become general manager of The Junto.

"Traditional business travel is still slow to come back," he said. "But group business has come back for sure, and leisure travel is strong. This is built for a leisure-style travel, so that's great for us."

The Junto will be one of six buildings to open in the first phase of The Peninsula, a 26-acre development next to COSI on the west side of the Scioto River. Ultimately, the project could include up to 2 million square feet of offices, 1,800 residences, 200,000 square feet of retail space and 400 hotel rooms.

So far, in addition to The Junto, the Peninsula includes:

Even though tenants have started moving into the offices and apartments, The Peninsula still has the feel of a construction site. Those involved in the project say they hope The Junto, and a summer of events planned at Dorrian Green park across the street from The Peninsula, will kick the development into gear.

"When The Junto opens, that's the heart of phase one and it will feel that way to the rest of the community," said Amy Taylor, president of the Downtown Development Corporation, which assembled the land for The Peninsula. "You come to the apartments if you live there, and you come to the offices to work. But The Junto is where youll come if youre just in the community."

Taylor is hopeful that the opening of The Junto and the apartment complex will also help developers lure tenants to the empty retail and restaurant spots remaining in the ground floor of the hotel, apartment and office buildings.

"We're working to find tenants for those spaces," she said.

Plans were announced for a 30-story office and residential tower on the corner of W. Broad and Belle streets in a $211 million second phase. Originally expected to start in 2022, the tower is now on hold, in the hopes of receiving a $21 million state tax credit.

"We're still in discussions with the developers and hope to have an announcement soon," Taylor said.

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker

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Junto hotel hopes to be the heart of Franklinton's $250 million ... - The Columbus Dispatch