GREENVILLE, S.C. — A landmark office tower overlooking Falls Park is set to become South Carolina’s first JW Marriott, as Greenville-based Auro Hotels unveiled plans Thursday to convert the Bowater Building into a 335-room luxury hotel anchoring the city’s emerging Falls Park Conference District.
The proposed hotel at 55 E. Camperdown Way will mark Auro Hotels’ largest single investment in Greenville to date. The company, which already operates six hotels in the city and has been headquartered there for more than 50 years, purchased the 2.4-acre Bowater property for $31.25 million in December 2024. The four-story building, built in the early 1990s as headquarters for Bowater Inc., was previously considered by the city as a potential new home for City Hall before Auro’s acquisition.
“Great destinations attract great brands,” said Dharmendra “DJ” Rama, president and CEO of Auro Hotels. “Greenville’s success has been built one thoughtful decision at a time. For more than 20 years, this community has made intentional investments in its downtown, its parks, its culture and its quality of life. We believe the arrival of South Carolina’s first JW Marriott reflects the destination Greenville has become.”
Design plans call for two new towers — one seven stories, the other five — added to the west side of the existing building facing the Reedy River, while preserving much of the Bowater Building’s original architecture and blending it with JW Marriott’s European-inspired aesthetic. The project will include more than 8,800 square feet of meeting and event space, four food and beverage venues, an executive lounge, a fitness center and river-facing outdoor terraces. Auro Hotels expects the hotel to employ approximately 175 associates upon opening. Renovations are anticipated to begin in mid-2027, pending final approvals, with construction expected to take 18 to 24 months.
The hotel will serve as the centerpiece of the Falls Park Conference District, an estimated $500 million mixed-use redevelopment planned for the east side of the Reedy River. The city of Greenville selected The Furman Co. as master developer for the six-acre district, which is also expected to include multifamily housing, office space, retail, structured parking and expanded green space. United Community and Hines have also been announced as private partners in the project. Auro Hotels will operate both the city-owned conference center and the new luxury hotel, connected by an elevated pedestrian bridge.
“Greenville has never chased recognition for its own sake,” Greenville Mayor Knox White said. “We’ve focused on creating a city where people genuinely want to live, build businesses and spend time. South Carolina’s first JW Marriott is another reflection of that long-term vision and reinforces Greenville’s standing as one of America’s premier destinations.”
The announcement adds to a wave of adaptive-reuse and hospitality investment reshaping downtown Greenville, where commercial real estate professionals have tracked rising demand for mixed-use and conference-oriented development even as the broader Upstate economy continues to draw manufacturing, logistics and data center investment. Bruce Rohr, vice president and global brand leader for JW Marriott, said Greenville stood out as a market with “a strong sense of place and connection” among the brand’s more than 130 hotels worldwide.
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