Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
Concept approved for new 141-room Hilton hotel at Downtown YMCA spot
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If you’ve driven past the empty YMCA on 4th Ave N and wondered what’s next, here’s your answer: a brand-new hotel. Today, the Birmingham Design Review Committee (DRC) approved conceptual plans to build a 141-room hotel at the spot of the former downtown YMCA, a 59,494 square-foot YMCA facility that closed in 2022 after 37 years in downtown Birmingham.
Former YMCA site planned as Alabama’s first Tempo by Hilton
According to Rakesh Patel, the developer of the project, the conceptual plans call for a 141-room, 5-story building with an underground basement.
“We still have a long way to go. We still got architectural, engineering (work) to still do – and all the other mechanics of it all. This is just the concept. We got the blueprint from the city. Now we’re going forward with the rest of the design.”
Rakesh Patel
Patel confirmed the hotel will be Tempo by Hilton, a brand that focuses on providing wellness and fitness amenities. He expects the project to take 2-3 years to complete.
Once built, this would be the first Tempo by Hilton in the state of Alabama.
What’s next for the site?
The BDRC unanimously passed developer Rakesh Patel’s conceptual plan for a Tempo by Hilton at the former downtown YMCA, but the plan didn’t say whether the building will be demolished or reused. The cost of the development also wasn’t made public.
Richard Mauk, the chair of the BDRC, told Bham Now he expects the developer to return to the committee in the future.
Two new downtown hotels opening in 2026
The Tempo by Hilton Birmingham is the latest to join a growing wave of hotels in downtown Birmingham.
Ascent Hospitality is redeveloping the 117-year-old tower as a dual-branded AC & Element hotel, with a total of 338 rooms for travelers. Two new hotels are expected to be opened in 2026 at the Brown Marx Tower, located at the intersection of 20th Street North and 1st Avenue North dubbed the Heaviest Corner on Earth.
