See inside this reopened Columbus hotel after it underwent nearly two years of renovation

In December of 2022, a dangerous cold snap ushered in Christmas Eve, and a pipe burst at the Hilton Garden Inn Columbus.

Cindy Webb, the general manager of the hotel who is always on call for any problems, responded promptly. The hotel temporarily closed to fix the pipes, but the incident triggered a multi-million dollar renovation that Webb helped see to completion over the course of 19 months.

The 120-room Hilton Garden Inn on Bradley Lake Boulevard held a ceremony July 25 to mark the reopening and upgrades made to the hotel.

This reopening comes a week after the Holiday Inn Express celebrated its opening on Warm Springs Road. These hotel openings provide more space for people wanting to visit Columbus, Mayor Skip Henderson told the Ledger-Enquirer, and help increase room availability for conferences and conventions.

“I can remember when we could not get a 100-person convention 20-plus years ago because we didn’t have enough hotel room,” Henderson said. “Now, we’re hosting 5,000 to 12,000 person conventions and conferences.”

Reopening the Hilton Garden Inn was a relief because Aperture Hotels, the company that owns and operates this location, was able to offer employees their jobs back. The company also increased the occupancy capacity in Columbus, Senior Vice President Leanne Lloyd told the Ledger-Enquirer.

“That’s more revenue coming back to the community,” she said.

Although the cold snap created a hardship for the hotel, Lloyd is happy to see the final product after the renovation.

“The hotel looks great,” she said. “It looks wonderful. We were really blessed.”

Part of the success of getting the renovation completed, especially during a time when construction projects were difficult because of high inflation and supply shortages , was the hotel’s staff.

“We had some staff that were really committed to the hotel,” Lloyd said. “And then we had some staff that came back after (the renovation was complete).”

While working with contractors to finish the work on the Hilton Garden Inn, Webb also helped out at other properties as the construction was being completed. But she knew it was worth it to see this project through to the end.

“(The hotel) has so much potential,” Webb said. “And I wasn’t going to go anywhere. It’s so beautiful.”

Along with the potential of the hotel, she also feels that the longtime employees were a close-knit family.

Some of the changes to the Hilton Garden Inn include upgraded public spaces, guest rooms and meeting space. Electric vehicle charging stations have been added to parking and the fitness center also received a “makeover.”

Webb looks forward to utilizing the public spaces to host events and weddings going forward.

“The ballroom to me is beautiful,” she said. “We can have so many great events there.”

Almost everything in the hotel was touched in the renovation, according to a news release, with new carpeting, wall coverings and light fixtures in the corridors. Guest rooms were redecorated with new wall coverings, flooring and decor.

The support of the local community was instrumental in getting through the temporary closure while the hotel was renovated, Lloyd said.

“We’re really appreciative of the community as a whole for waiting for us and supporting us,” she said.