New boutique hotel opens downtown
A century-old downtown highrise building reopened Wednesday as Chattanooga’s newest boutique hotel.
The former Clemons Lofts apartments at Chestnut and 8th streets has been converted into the Bode Hotel, which when fully developed will include 54 units, including one-, two- and three-bedroom options.
James Camp, the general manager for the new hotel, said each unit includes a kitchen and the hotel also features the Hub — an all-day cafe that features craft cocktails and beer on draft, along with a market and lightly prepared meals.
“A lot of hotels almost try to force people out of their rooms and into restaurants because they are small and uncomfortable,” Camp said. “Here we have rooms where you can relax and have more of a home-spun atmosphere like a home or a residence. This is a unique form of lodging that is ideally suited for group travel and people going to special events, sporting events, games or those that want to take advantage of the great outdoors and what Chattanooga has to offer.”
Most of the hotel rooms are similar in size to the apartments and condos which were previously leased when the structure was known as the Clemons Building.
TMC Group in Irvine, California, which bought the six-story building last year for $10 million, said it invested a few million dollars more in its conversion to the new hotel.
The company opened its first Bode Hotel last year in Nashville and is considering at least three other such hotels.
“We have Bodes in planning in Savannah, Georgia, as well as Palm Springs, Orange County and Indian Wells, California,” said Philip Bates, managing partner for TMC.
The Bode name reflects both the “abode” living space available in each hotel room and how staying there “bodes well” for visitors, Camp said.
“We transcend a lot of the ideas in our industry and have developed a product we think appeals to those with a wanderlust but also want to travel well,” he said.
According to the Hamilton County Assessor’s Office, the Clemons building was erected in 1930 and includes 81,174 square feet, which includes a total of 114 bedrooms, Camp said.
The Bode is the third boutique hotel to open in downtown Chattanooga in the past seven months. The Edwin, developed by the Chattanooga-based Vision Hospitality Group, opened with 90 rooms near the Walnut Street Bridge last September and hotel developer Hiran Desai opened the 108-room Moxy hotel last November.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@times freepress.com or at 423757-6340.