Inn at Altamont, 150-room luxury resort, proposed for Travelers Rest
(This article was updated to omit a preliminary plan concept)
Near the site of a former 18th-century bed and breakfast is a newly proposed hotel and public park area at Paris Mountain that will be called ‘The Inn at Altamont’ — a conceptual 150-room luxury style resort with wedding and conference hosting amenities that would open in Travelers Rest in 2030.
The proposed space would total $60 million in investments by The Divine Group, which plans to evenly split the hotel and park between 40 acres in the lower portion of Paris Mountain near Poinsett Highway (U.S. 276) and Old Buncombe Road.
The Inn at Altamont’s amenities will include a full banquet hall, a 2,000-capacity event lawn, an upscale rooftop bar-restaurant, and more. The concept aims to attract families, weddings, events, conferences, and beyond while offering a public access park on the other half of the 150,000-square-foot property.
“A project like this would put Travelers Rest on the map with a type of elevated luxury amenity that isn’t currently offered,” said Krut Patel, CEO of The Divine Group. “According to our research, we are seeing this type of clientele in our area. This will also bring more of those types of people into the community, and with that comes direct spending inside Travelers Rest.”
Patel’s investment company would operate the proposed hotel project under the Marriot Tribute Portfolio, allowing The Divine Group to utilize its branding while offering Marriot Bonvoy booking, rewards, and customer base systems. If the project is approved, Patel anticipates an average nightly rate of $275 per room.
“We’re aiming to bring in a new group of folks that have always looked at Greenville as a destination and give them another reason to come and introduce our southern culture to a wider cast of audience,” he added.
The new hotel would serve as a counterpart to the nearby Hotel Domestique, which hosts a total of 13 rooms, and a Tuscany-style resort experience for a more intimate stay, where The Inn at Altamont would resemble a four-star hotel lodging experience embedded into a mountainside somewhere in Colorado, catering to large scale conferences, weddings and more.
Here is everything to know about the hotel and park projected for Paris Mountain in 2030:
Giving the city of Travelers Rest its own park
The idea of The Inn at Altamont is two-fold; not only serving as a hotel, but through the completion of an annexation process, The Divine Group would donate 20 acres of land to the city of Travelers Rest for public park usage.
An agreement between the two entities would hold the city of Travelers Rest responsible for park maintenance and improvements. It would be further supported by a voluntary 2-percent hotel fee collected by The Divine Group at the proposed hotel. Patel anticipates the 2-percent fee will generate between $340,000 to $500,000 in revenue per year, which would go directly to the city of Travelers Rest.
According to Jay Martin, planning director at the city of Travelers Rest, The Divine Group has yet to submit an application for consideration for the hotel and park project and there are at least three public meetings, two city council approvals and a final planning process, amongst other policies, to complete before anything is approved.
Martin had no further comment on the proposed project but confirmed that city staff would attend the community meeting on Feb. 10 at Furman University that seeks feedback and recommended changes from individuals who live in Travelers Rest.
“I’ve been in Greenville my whole life, and I’m not looking at the bottom line,” said Patel of the hotel, which he deems a passion project. “I want to have a positive impact for all generations to come… to make sure there’s a way families can have a way to enjoy the beauty of Paris Mountain.”
What would it take to open The Inn at Altamont?
The proposed hotel project at Paris Mountain would need to go through many steps before the anticipated opening in 2030. Here is an outline of the steps involved before the Upstate could see The Inn at Altamont open in north Greenville County:
- Town hall meetings or public information sessions where the development group would then take feedback and adjust the project as needed.
- Submit annexation application request to the city of Travelers Rest.
- Receive design approvals for a civil permit, water, sewage treatment, and more.
- Architects to provide building permits and confirm the project is “interior design ready.”
- Undergo a Marriot design review.
- Permitting for construction (by 2027).
- Stabilized construction and opening of The Inn at Altamont (by Q3 of 2030).
Who is The Divine Group of Greenville?
The Divine Group of Greenville is building the Shoally Creek Village and Ken’s Crossing residential developments in Spartanburg and Theo Farms in Woodruff.
According to Patel, The Divine Group currently holds a balance sheet of $120 million in retail, wholesale, and rental assets, with about 24 dozen commercial assets and residential infrastructure development within its portfolio and developing around 2,500 lots for national homebuilders. Patel confirmed that The Divine Group oversees around $100 million yearly revenues.
In the interest of The Inn at Altamont, their investment group currently has a 50 percent stake in the deal and the ability to purchase the remaining half at a point in the future, and if approved, will use banking partners for debt financing for the construction phase.
Their development group is prepared to move forward with 100 percent responsibility as a family office for the completion of the project, with margins lower than a majority of his other business deals.
“I might not make as much money as I typically would like to,” Patel said. “But I know this project will leave a really big impact on a lot of different families in the community.”
– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, business and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at [email protected], and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.
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