A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Starkville
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – One By one, city leaders and economic developers lined up with golden shovels to break ground on a new hotel.
“It is a great opportunity to get a crowd together and get excited about the largest hotel development in the city of Starkville,” Said John Rush, President and CEO of MSU Foundation
The 122-room Hotel Madelon will serve as an anchor for the planned Crossroads development.
It is the first phase of a four-phase project designed to draw people to the city to visit and live, and help improve the city’s bottom line.
“If you come in here for just a football or basketball game, you slip in on highway 12 and 82, and you slip out, and you really do not see what great things we have to offer,” said Rush. “This hotel will be a magnet on the hillside, that will naturally make those visitors go, ‘Hey, what is that?’ and they will naturally go and see all that we have to offer as a city.”
The hotel will also include a full-service restaurant that will offer campus views, local flavors, and rooftop dining.
Chairman of the board of the MSU Foundation, Rodger Johnson, said he hopes this will also strengthen the connection between town and campus.
“It is going to change the whole aura and atmosphere that we have here,” said Johnson. “It is going to be a great addition to the community, and I think it will tie the University and community even more together than they have been.”
With people being able to stay at this hotel, eat at local restaurants, and shop close by as Crossroads moves into its next phases, Johnson said, he wants to show prospective students that city leaders are committed to progress in Starkville.
“I think it shows parents and students a real commitment to continue the heritage of our university and city that we have here,” said Johnson. “We are not going backwards; we are going forward. We want this to be a place that is high class, and a place that they want their kids to get exposed to.”
The hotel is set to be open in the summer of 2027.
