The Courtyard Marriott in Phenix City, with its sweeping view of the Chattahoochee River and the Columbus cityscape, is close to having its roof "topped out" for the final push toward an early August opening.

"I had somebody come up to my office, two people, in the last two months at our corporate office wanting to book rooms at the Courtyard. They wanted to be the first ones to stay at that hotel," said Matt Patel, vice president and operations at RAM Hotels, the Columbus-based company building the 99-room property at a cost of $12 million.

While some future wedding events already are being scheduled for the hotel's meeting space, the ability to book a guest room at the new hotel should come in the next two months, he said, when it is put on Marriott'sonline reservation site in anticipation of its summer debut. The current date for opening is Aug. 8.

Dothan, Ala.-based general contractor Hollis & Spann began construction on the property last spring. Work has progressed steadily since then, with crews toiling away through this winter's cold snaps.

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