VIDALIA — The Vidalia Riverfront will be a little more crowded in the future as construction on a Marriott Town Place Suite hotel is set to start in March.

Vidalia City Manager Ken Walker said in two weeks, the City of Vidalia will sign a lease with Concordia Group LLC of Metairie, La., to build the new hotel.

“There will be no financial contribution from Vidalia,” he said. “I think it is going to be a very positive step for the city, we need additional hotels for the convention center.”

Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said he is excited about the new project.

“I think it is going to be a great asset to our community,” he said. “It can help us bring bigger and better conventions to the area.”

Walker said the four-story hotel will house approximately 102 rooms, and will employ approximately 20 to 30 new jobs for the area.

“New jobs are always great for the community,” he said.

Copeland said the $10 million project should take around 12 to 14 months to complete once construction begins.

“(The group) also stated they are interested in acquiring additional properties to build some shops on the Riverfront,” he said.

Walker said the city has been working on acquiring a new hotel for the Riverfront for the past two years, and has been working with Concordia LLC for the past six months.

Walker also said the new hotel will be a great asset to the city due to its location to the convention center.

“If we have large (state) convention at our convention center, it is required by the state to have the convention participants stay in Louisiana,” he said. “This gives us more room to house people for conventions.”

The new hotel will specialize in extended stay guests, Walker said.

“The rooms are going to be equipped with refrigerators, microwaves and dishwashers in them,” he said. “It will be for people looking to stay in the area for three to seven days.”