The new 80-room boutique hotel located on the campus of Elon University in North Carolina is now open to the public.
The Inn at Elon, a four-star hotel and conference facility on the Elon University campus opened to the public and hosted its first guests on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. The $31 million facility fulfills a longstanding goal of having an on-campus hotel to host visitors to the university and the surrounding region. The Inn at Elon is operated by Charlestowne Hotels, one of the nation’s leading hospitality management firms.
As an asset of the university, financing for The Inn at Elon includes a plan to directly benefit students. All revenue beyond operating costs will be directed to fund scholarships. Guests are reminded that their visits to The Inn at Elon are “A Stay with Purpose.”
“The Inn at Elon is an exciting new asset on campus, and an innovative way to raise revenue for scholarships,” said Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book. “Guests at the Inn will not only experience a best-in-class stay, but simultaneously support Elon’s distinctive mission.”
The inn is set at the main north entrance to Elon University’s campus, which is consistently recognized as the nation’s most beautiful collegiate environment. Located next to the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center at 605 North O’Kelly Avenue, the inn features 10 suites along with 70 rooms featuring king-sized and queen-sized beds.
Guests will be steps away from major university landmarks and within convenient driving distance to the key hubs of Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Durham and Winston-Salem. The property features an upscale restaurant and lounge, named The Mark at Elon, along with an outdoor courtyard with fire pits, a fitness center, dedicated on-site parking, valet and bell service and complimentary bicycle rentals for guests to explore the botanical garden campus.
Conference facilities make The Inn at Elon a valuable resource not just for the university, but for the entire community and region. The 5,200-square-foot multipurpose ballroom accommodates up to 340 people, with the outdoor lawn providing space for 440. All facilities are open to the public and available for business meetings and retreats as well as family celebrations such as weddings, reunions and holiday parties.
The Mark at Elon, the hotel’s on-site restaurant has dining room and private room seating for 72 patrons and offers an American menu including Southern favorites using locally sourced ingredients. In addition to the restaurant’s daily, upscale dining and relaxed Sunday brunch, the hotel will offer custom menus and a dedicated, on-site catering team for weddings and events. The Mark at Elon’s lounge has seating for 41 guests.
The Inn at Elon will be an important economic asset for the town of Elon and Alamance County, supporting new jobs and the local economy while producing tax revenues for local government. Charlestowne Hotels employs 54 full-time employees at The Inn at Elon and its operations support other local and regional companies that serve the hospitality industry.
The university was able to build The Inn at Elon thanks to the vision of the Elon University Board of Trustees, which approved the project in spring 2018, and the philanthropy of Elon alumni, parents and friends. Generous funding for the project included a lead gift of $2.5 million by trustee Mark Mahaffey and his wife, Marianne, who are parents of two Elon alumni.
“We wanted to have a gathering spot to strengthen the alumni and community engagement but also benefit our students,” said Trustee Kerrii Brown Anderson ’79, past-chair of the Board of Trustees, who made a naming gift for a suite at the inn. “Therefore, the Board designated that the income from the Inn is to be utilized to provide additional student scholarships. I am very proud that the Inn at Elon will contribute to our student-focused mission.”
Elon celebrated the support of the many donors who made the inn possible at a groundbreaking ceremony in October 2018. To date, all 10 suites, 35 guest rooms, a conference room and the lobby have been named for donors or in honor of their families, their students or beloved professors, administrators or coaches. A formal dedication ceremony, which will honor project donors, will be held on April 3 in conjunction with the spring Board of Trustees meeting.
Charlestowne Hotels of Charleston, S.C., oversees full-service management operations of The Inn at Elon. Among its extensive portfolio of properties, Charlestowne operates collegiate hotels at or near Clemson University, Colgate University, Sewanee – the University of the South, Longwood University, the University of Arkansas and Smith College.
“When we got the call to join Elon University in developing The Inn at Elon, we jumped at the chance to add this property to our portfolio of university hotels. The college hospitality market continues to expand and evolve with enhanced quality of stay, high-touch services and elevated amenities,” said Jennifer West, director of operations at Charlestowne Hotels. “We collaborated with Elon to develop a distinct brand and property features that pay tribute to the university connection while maintaining a sophisticated boutique hotel atmosphere – choosing purposeful, refined comforts over thematic design.”
Francine Boissonneault is general manager of The Inn at Elon and led an operations team that worked to attract top talent to staff the restaurant and hotel.
The Inn at Elon was made possible through the generosity of many donors, including the following:
Donors of dedicated spaces and suites at The Inn at Elon
Kerrii Brown ’79 and Doug Anderson
Paul F. and Mindee Blanco P’19
Connie Ledoux Book
Thomas E. and Lynn B. Chandler
Michael and Marie DeStefano P’21
Edward M. Durham V ’96 P’23 and Kerrie Wilson Durham ’96 P’23
Harold W. and Jackie M. Hawkey Jr. P’18 P’21
Shelly Skeens Hazel ’78 and John Hazel III LP’09
Dr. William N.P. ’68 and Marsha T. Herbert
Sam and Vicky Hunt
Richard S. ’87 and Laurie L. Johnson P’17
Warren and Holley Lutz P’20
Mark T. and Marianne D. Mahaffey P’97 P’01
Christopher P. Martin ‘78 P’13 and Nick Martin ’13
Mark W. and Jennifer A. Mullin P’19 P’22
Dean E. Palin P’21
David C. and Jennifer M. Porter P’11 P’19
John B. and Kristin G. Replogle P’18
Jeanne and Jerry Robertson P’89 GP’17 GP’22
John M. ’81 and Miriam M. Sadler P’19 P’20
Guest room donors at The Inn at Elon
Charles L. and Laura D. Barnes P’20
Robert A. and Michelle Bruggeworth P’18
Sam ’89 and Kelly Burke P’19
Rachel Southmayd Campbell ’13 and David Campbell ’13
Robert C. and Maura K. Costello P’21
Wesley R. and Cathy S. Elingburg P’11
Jane Link Ferguson P’12
Harris and Debi Gellman P’22
Keith A. and Kathryn S. Harsh P’18 P’22
Gordon K. and Erin G. Kapes P’19
George J. ’73 and Margaret F. Kilroy
Robert R. Lane ’71 and Karen Paulos Lane ’71
John C. McGranahan Jr. and Deanne B. McGranahan P’19 P’21
Richard D. ’95 and Julie H. Salvatierra Jr.
Chris and Fran Teter P’13 P’18
Tricia Teter ’13 G’17
Gordon Teter ’18
George R. and Marla R. Theofel P’22
W. Campbell Tims ‘00
John G. Truitt, Jr. ’53 and Dolores Hagan Truitt ’53
Pamela Brown Vinson P’07
Nancy Turner Watson ‘66, in memory of Jim Watson ’65
Christian A. Wiggins ‘03
William J. and Kristin F. Woolfolk P’17
Jonathan C. and Ann E. Wright P’22
To reserve a room or book an event at The Inn at Elon, go to theinnatelon.com or call 336-586-0329.