3 hotels headed to Harbison area

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One of Columbia’s busiest entertainment districts will soon be getting a trio of new hotels. Home2Suites, Tru by Hilton and Aloft properties are under construction in the bustling area near Harbison Boulevard.

Home2Suites, a typically pet-friendly Hilton property featuring suite-style rooms, is being built by Mashburn Construction at Columbiana Drive and Lake Murray Boulevard. Project superintendent Jason Bittner said construction should be completed by July.

Tru by Hilton, a brand that launched last May and features smaller, efficient hotel rooms, is adding a new property on Columbiana Drive near Carolina Ale House.

Aloft, a unit of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., is renovating the former Wingate Hotel at 217 Lanneau Court. The new, 100-room hotel, which will include a pool, is scheduled to open May 12, according to Starwood’s website.

Aloft opened a boutique hotel in Columbia’s Vista district in February 2017. The 70,000-square-foot hotel at the corner of Lady and Lincoln streets has 107 rooms and includes a lobby anchored by the WXYZ bar.

Aloft, which also has a hotel in downtown Greenville and one in North Charleston, is planning to expand its S.C. presence. A location in downtown Charleston is scheduled to open at 600 Meeting St. on July 1, according to the website. A Mount Pleasant location at 1081 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. is set to open Jan. 1 and a Florence location, to open in January 2020, is planned at 820 Wood Jones Blvd.