ROANOKE, Va. – Walking through the front doors of The Liberty Trust Hotel, you get a glimpse of the past.
The new hotel — formerly a bank headquarters dating back to 1909 — has officially opened in Downtown Roanoke.
“We feel like we’re in the heart of it all,” said Vishal Savani, the managing director of Savara Hospitality and the hotel’s developer and operator. He said renovating the building took longer than expected. Construction began in December 2019, but was put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unfortunately, you know, supply chain issues have just made it very difficult for all construction projects to actually be able to stay on schedule,” said Savani.
The boutique hotel features 54 rooms, some even pet-friendly, plus dining and social areas and a meeting room. Original elements are showcased throughout, including marble and copper doors.
“One of the big impacts we’ll see on the community, hopefully, is for folks to be able to actually experience what historic architecture from the early 20th century was like,” said Savani.
With the help of Black Dog Salvage, they were able to incorporate even more of the building’s unique history by transforming bank vault doors into wall consoles.
“We are up-cyclers. We like to take pieces of our history and turn them into new stuff. And this is a perfect example of that,” said Black Dog Salvage Co-owner Mike Whiteside.
As soon as you step outside of the hotel’s front doors, you’re just steps away from downtown businesses and restaurants. Plus, the hotel is within walking distance of the Amtrak station in Roanoke. Catherine Fox with Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge said it’s an easy excuse to visit the Star City.
“This is the walkability that we need post-pandemic to really get to see folks start to take in some of these wonderful, sustainable businesses that made it through the pandemic who are in the recovery,” said Fox. “To see this type of hotel come on board will really help, I think, infuse more opportunity and business into the region.”
An infusion of the old and the new brings a piece of Roanoke’s history back to life.
“We’re just excited that we’ll finally be able to see the vision that we had four years ago come into a reality,” said Savani.
Savani said they are hoping to open a dining/bar space in the main lobby later this summer.
You can book a room at the Liberty Trust Hotel by clicking here.