New Kessler Collection Groundbreaking In Richmond Hill

May 11, 2025

Evan Lasseter - Savannah Morning News

Interstate 95 through Bryan County is a string of nondescript exits, with typical green exit signs and sparse development. But a signature hotelier known to Coastal Georgia is seeking to change that, creating an "oasis" entertainment district off Old Keller Road in Richmond Hill.

That latest Kessler Collection development―Kessler Richmond Hill―broke ground Wednesday, beginning construction on a dual-brand, 200-room key property.

"Compared to every other interstate intersection, this is going to be the Oasis between New York and Miami, Florida," said Kessler Collection CEO Richard Kessler.

The project will feature both a Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott, each with 100 rooms. In typical Kessler Collection fashion, the property will feature a theme that turns the project into a story, Kessler said. In addition to the hotels, there will be a standalone restaurant and a drive-thru Starbucks in the development.

Kessler Richmond Hill will be an ode to the "great American road trip," with automotive art and old-school nostalgia throughout the property. The fixtures of said theme will be a pair of collector automobiles themselves, staged at the hotel's entrance.

Those autos flanked the stage at Wednesday's groundbreaking―a green 50th anniversary edition of the "Bullitt" Mustang from the 1968 Steve McQueen film and a 1930s Model A Ford. The Fords are a nod to the automotive giant's founder, Henry Ford, who broke ground in 1936 on a 7,000-square-foot Greek Revival mansion in Richmond Hill, according to the Richmond Hill Historical Society.

The home, known as Richmond Hill Plantation, was placed National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and is now part of the Ford Field and River Club.

"What we wanted to do is really create that history so that makes it accessible to everybody," Richard Kessler said.

The Kessler collection is most known in Coastal Georgia by the JW Marriott at Savannah's Plant Riverside District as well as the Grand Bohemian Hotel on the river and the Armstrong Mansion on Forsyth Park. The Kessler Collection also includes signature hotels in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, and the Carolinas.

But when it comes to building in Richmond Hill, Richard Kessler pointed to the "exploding growth" of the area and a string of right moves by local leadership. He pointed to the incoming Richmond Hill High School, the 7,000-acre Heartwood at Richmond Hill residential community, and the new "state-of-the-art" sports complex as helping form the city into the perfect place for a new Kessler Collection development.

"Today marks more than the start of a construction project, it marks the beginning of a bold investment in the future of Bryan County," said Bryan County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Summer Beal. "This groundbreaking is a symbol of growth, progress and possibility for our community."

The first part of the project to be completed will be the Starbucks, which is expected to open by the end of 2025. Hotel construction is estimated to take between 15 and 18 months.

Between the Starbucks and two hotels, Kessler expects 100 jobs to come from the development. Once the standalone restaurant is opened, it will add additional jobs.

Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) @evanalasseter.

[This article has been corrected to read the Ford Field and River Club.]

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