Hotel Morgan Redux

Sometimes going back to what used to be is best.

Imagine for a moment that it’s 1925. You’re walking down High Street, the fall air is crisp, and you’re in Morgantown just for the night. Your reservations for the evening are in the city’s brand new, modern hotel—the Hotel Morgan. It’s overflowing with splendor and prestige. 

Back then the hotel was designed to be a professor hang out, a memorable game-day stay, or comfortable place from which parents visited their college students. It hosted presidents and became central to many important moments, hosting weddings, proms, election parties, and rooftop social functions all while delivering one of the best views of the city.  

Now The Thrash Group, a real estate development firm based in Mississippi, has purchased the property for $2.5 million and plans to invest at least five times that on renovations that are underway and managed by Charlestowne Hotels. Once completed, the property will feature “83 stylish rooms and suites, a two-story grand ballroom with fireplace, two boardrooms ideal for meetings and small gatherings, a state of the art fitness center, onsite parking, and a brand new coffee and cocktail bar called the Anvil + Ax.” 

Thrash Group Creative Director Ellen Tichenor is working closely on the hotel’s return to splendor. She says the group hopes the property will become the talk of the town. “The hotel will truly be a new boutique experience for Morgantown and something we hope the city can be very proud of,” she says adding that the aim is to make it once again a hub for the city’s main events. “If it happens in Morgantown, we hope that it happens at The Morgan.”

The hotel plans to open its bold new red door to the public in early January.