By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Representatives from Wealth Hospitality, City of Ruston staff, and other community members gathered Tuesday morning at the empty property at 2701 North Service Road East (by Tractor Supply) for a ceremonial breaking of ground that will see a 154-room dual-branded Hilton Hotel.
“This is another investment toward the continued growth of our city — not only in businesses, but also the recreational side of it with our sports complex,” Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said. “It’s just a real needed piece of the puzzle that we continue to put together, which makes a great city.”
Wealth Hospitality CEO Chico Patel addressed the crowd and expressed how pleased he is for his group to bring new business to the area.
“Ruston has been on our radar for a couple of years now,” Patel said. “The universities at Louisiana Tech and Grambling State are both growing with enrollment, being on I-20, and being the only extended-stay hotel in Ruston — all of that sparked the interest. We had done some feasibility studies that said the sports complex attracts around 400,000 people a year. We felt like this would be a great market in our backyard to develop and extended-stay and a leisure hotel.”
Paul Vandiver came to the ground-breaking as a representative from Hilton and is the primary contact for the Wealth Hospitality group.
“We see a great growth opportunity with the sports complex and adding inventory into the city by bringing the first dual-brand hotel in the state of Louisiana for Tru and Home2,” Vandiver said. “We see Ruston as a growing, thriving community and a perfect fit for us.”
During the ceremony, Patel’s group gave $2,500 each to Louisiana Tech’s College of Business, Grambling State’s College of Business, the Ruston Police Department and the Ruston Fire Department.
“I thought that was one of the coolest parts — they’re already giving back to the community,” Walker said. “All four donations were incredible. And this is just the first piece of several things he would like to do in Ruston.”
Patel said that he expects the hotels to be fully functioning by January 2026. Wealth Hospitality is located in Brandon, Miss.
