New Georgia National Fairgrounds hotel hosts community ribbon cutting

PERRY — If you’re driving down I-75 South and look toward the Georgia National Fairgrounds, you’ll see a new hotel right next to the Miller Murphy Howard building.

Located on 100 General Courtney Hodges Blvd. in Perry, Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites has been fully operational for six months. Community members officially cut the ribbon on the new hotel on Wednesday, May 13. 

President of Retreat Hotels and Resorts and owner and operator of the hotel, JJ Singh, was contacted in 2019 by the City of Perry’s economic development office to see if they were interested in having a hotel by the fairgrounds. 

With their experience working in Georgia, specifically Jekyll Island, Singh thought they’d be a good fit for one in Perry. 

“We toured the fairgrounds and knew right away that Perry and the fairgrounds are where people come together,” he said. 

Singh’s goal for the hotel was to integrate the fairgrounds’ values into the hotel. 

“We want you to feel like you’re at home on a farm,” he said. 

The hotel has two Marriott brands, Fairfield and TownPlace, including 66 townplace rooms. The hotel also features the 1824 Kitchen and Bar, indoor and outdoor dining, pool, hot tub, fire pit and gym. 

It also shares an air conditioning corridor with the Miller Murphy Howard Building, known as their conference center, which they will call the “Hall of Fame.” Singh said they will soon be adding memorabilia to the Hall of Fame related to the fairgrounds’ history. 

Chairman of the Georgia Agriculture Exposition Authority, Foster Rhodes, said having a hotel at the fairgrounds was always part of the plan, and felt like it was needed given the number of guests visiting the grounds. 

Perry Mayor Randall Walker said the city is very excited about the hotel and happy that it has finally come to fruition. Walker also believes the hotel will help draw larger groups to the fairgrounds. 

“I think we’re going to see larger conventions and conferences that will have an on-premises hotel that they can stay in and have access to,” he said. “It’s a strong representative of [growth].”