The Factory at Franklin is adding a 120-room boutique hotel to its downtown campus, with construction expected to begin in late 2026 and an opening planned for spring 2028.
The hotel will be part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, according to The Tennessean. The project also includes a new parking garage on the property, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee. Factory marketing director Claire Francis said the development is expected to create about 60 jobs.
Hotel officials told The Tennessean the design draws on The Factory's history. Plans call for Building 10 to serve as the main lobby and Building 9 to become a pool courtyard. The hotel will also include event and meeting space, a full-service restaurant and bar, a private dining room and a fitness center.
Williamson County drew 8.83 million visitors in 2025, generating $1.38 billion in spending, according to Visit Franklin. The county's tourism industry supported 9,180 jobs that year.
Holladay Properties purchased The Factory in 2021 for $56 million and has since renovated the 1920s-era former Dortch Stove Works plant. The site at 230 Franklin Road houses 25 local and boutique retailers, 16 dining options, performance venues including Studio Tenn and Turner Theater, and a weekly outdoor farmers market.
Matthew Maxey, senior director of public relations for Visit Franklin, described the transformation in an interview with MTSU Sidelines.
"Ten years ago, you'd probably see a bunch of folks sitting in the lobby working on their laptops because it was a quiet place to work," Maxey said. "There wasn't a whole lot of activity going on. Now you go out there and it's stylish and there's people buzzing around all the time."
Francis said Visit Franklin data shows the Factory draws a roughly even split of locals and out-of-town visitors.
Maxwell Stuart, a Nolensville resident who visits The Factory often, said the area's expansion has a cost. "I think it's brought more money into the area, and I think there's been a lot more growth," Stuart said. "But I also think at the same time it makes this area much more expensive to live in … I don't want it to lose its tone, this town, and just become more of an advertisement."
Parking is already a pressure point downtown. The Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen discussed results of a Downtown Franklin Parking Study during an Oct. 13 work session, the Williamson Herald reported. A July survey of nearly 5,200 people found 71% of respondents want more free parking options. Andrew Orr, Franklin's long range planning supervisor, said the city concluded there is "limited to no appetite for paid parking."
A second survey focused on event-day parking was expected to launch in late October, according to the Williamson Herald.
