Harrogate breaks ground on new hotel

Officials with the city of Harrogate, Claiborne County, and the Claiborne Economic Partnership joined local developers to break ground on a new Comfort Inn and Suites along U.S. Highway 25E. The hotel is expected to be ready to open in March 2027 with 72 rooms in the 40,000-square-foot structure. The hotel is the first phase of a project that will bring a 300-seat convention center and restaurant as well as a shopping center and private apartment building to the site. Harrogate Mayor Troy Poore said the property could bring as much as $80,000 in revenue to the city each year through hotel/motel taxes with additional funds through sales tax. It is also a reflection on the growing outdoor tourism industry in the area.