Originally published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Written by Abby Lynes, Chronicle Staff Writer
Livingston is getting a new hotel.
The Fairfield Inn by Marriott will be located at 1623 W. Park St., at the Interstate 90 interchange. With seven existing hotels, developers say they’re excited to add to the area’s lodging stock.
“You’re aware of the crazy hotel boom in Bozeman in the past decade, but Livingston has had none of that,” said Doug Braham, a developer behind the project.
While there are plenty of other lodging options, Livingston doesn’t have any Hilton or Marriott hotels, and Braham said he has been looking to change that. When people travel, he said they often look for chains they’ve stayed at before, so having a branded hotel will get more people staying in Livingston when they visit Southwest Montana.
It gives people more options for where they want to stay in the area, whether it be a historic building downtown, a luxury resort like Sage Lodge or a hotel with easy access to the highway, said Leslie Feigel, Livingston Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Center CEO.
The hotel will also help revitalize the area, which was previously a vacant lot, she said. She also hopes it brings more sporting events, conferences and other things of that nature to Livingston.
“It gives people more options for how they want to stay here in our community,” she said. “And you can’t beat the view right there.”
With four stories and about 90 rooms, Braham said the hotel should have standard amenities, including a pool, hot tub and plenty of outdoor space. Livingston depends on tourism, Braham said, and this will give people more options. He expects it to open by summer 2020.
While Livingston has plenty of galleries, restaurants and shops to attract visitors, it’s been lagging behind in the hospitality industry, Braham said, and it’s important that there’s enough lodging in place to support tourism. The industry will only grow in Livingston, he said.
“Tourism has obviously been a huge part of Livingston’s past, and we expect it to be an even bigger part of the future,” he said.