Locals can get a sneak peak at a new hotel coming as part of Taylor’s population and business growth.
Talbot Commons Pocket Hotel, 616 Talbot St., is having a Community Open House event Saturday, April 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to Alison Ditto, the hotel’s operations manager, this will be the first new hotel in downtown Taylor in 106 years. She said the last hotel to open in the specific part of the city was the Blazilmar in 1918.
“There are just so many great businesses all around [downtown Taylor],” Ditto said. “Guests can pop in and out, walk around, or even bike ride, if you’re into that … Downtown Taylor is so adorable, so you’re staying in this hotel and walk out of the door and have a few restaurants and watering holes super close by.”
Talbot Commons Pocket Hotel takes the place of a historic building that is already in downtown Taylor, First Presbyterian Church, which was repurposed by designers.
Ditto said the hotel is located in the fellowship hall and where Sunday school classes used to be held. She said it is a U-shaped structure behind the church.
The hotel will have 11 guest rooms that each have different room shapes and designs. Three of the rooms will be available for visitors to see during the open house, Ditto said.
Douglas Moss, hotel owner and head of the real estate design company Public Sketch, said that each room is different because they wanted to maintain the church’s original exterior.
“We also thought it would provide a more unique experience,” Moss said. “When people travel, they like experiences as opposed to the same old, same old. So, this is really a hotel about providing special experiences while you’re in
Taylor.” Ditto described the hotel as a “luxurious experience,” since each room will have wallpaper that is custom art created by artist B. Shawn Cox.
Moss said the hotel should be open before the end of April, with construction primarily finished.
All that is left to complete is landscaping and construction of the Haciendo Coffee kiosk, Ditto said.
Four of the rooms will be pet-friendly, four of the rooms will have kitchenettes and one of the rooms will be accessible in regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Talbot Commons information.
Moss said area residents are encouraged to come to the open house this weekend despite them living close to the hotel already.
Besides wanting locals to recommend the hotel to visitors, Moss said there are certain elements of the pocket hotel that can be regularly enjoyed by those who aren’t guests of the hotel. “We want people to experience the courtyard [during the open house] because anyone can go sit and hang out in the courtyard,” Moss said. “We really just want to make sure Taylorites feel welcomed and that they feel like this is part of their community.”
