By Carol Badaracco Padgett
Stepping inside the Trilith Guesthouse in the Town of Trilith, just outside Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, Georgia, you immediately get a sense that this is where great stories will be made and shared.
Official ribbon cutting
Those stories began on January 18, 2024, at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new 193-room destination hotel, A Tribute Portfolio property – “boutique-ness coupled with the horsepower of Marriott,” as Joe Collier described it, president and founder of Mainsail Lodging and Development, Trilith Guesthouse’s management partner alongside Trilith Development.
Collier, the emcee of the ribbon cutting ceremony, noted that the Town at Trilith’s full-time residents bought homes there with smaller footprints, and so they needed a special place their guests could reach within a two block walk. Alongside exquisitely comfortable lodging, guests will find the hotel’s signature restaurant, Prologue Dining & Drinks, and its rooftop Oliver’s Twist Bar & View.
Trilith Guesthouse entrance
In the packed ribbon cutting gathering that included Rob Parker, the president of Trilith, Mayor Edward Johnson of the City of Fayetteville, state legislators, councilman and other notable players of the development, Collier invited them to describe what they believe Trilith Guesthouse will add to the Trilith story.
Thom Cunningham, president and CEO of Development Ventures Group Inc., expressed how the hotel and meeting destination embodies the spirit of the storyteller.
“We create places that matter to people’s lives … the moments, the stories, vacations, weddings, ideas for film, perhaps – a place for dreaming up moments and making them happen,” Cunningham said of Trilith Guesthouse and of creating an infrastructure to support creatives.
James Green III, Trilith Guesthouse’s general manager, offered a warm invitation, “We welcome all who cross the threshold to create their own stories. This place is all about story.”
Mayor Johnson stated of everyone’s involvement – from design and development to management and the day-to-day operations team, “Everything rises and falls on leadership. These are great partners, great leaders, and this project is a catalyst for the growth of Fayetteville.”
A fitting yet unexpected component of Trilith Guesthouse’s story was also unveiled: a charitable partnership with Leap for Literacy, a nonprofit program that provides an alternative to traditional school book fairs for kids who can’t afford them.
Stanley Tucker speaking at the opening reception
Leap for Literacy’s founder, Stanley Tucker, took the stage to explain how the nonprofit came about and where it’s heading, saying, “Now we’re encouraging all kids to write their own stories.” Some of those stories then receive professional illustration and publishing.
“We’ve published 113 books for young authors so far,” Tucker said, and he invited each Trilith Guesthouse ribbon cutting attendee to choose a copy of a child’s book and take it home.
“Next, we’re going to start a bookstore where the only books are from these kids,” he shared. “And we’re going to sell them at Trilith Guesthouse.”
Learn more about Trilith Guesthouse and its ever unfolding story here.
