Hotel Lafayette, located at 301 East Vermilion Street in Downtown Lafayette, is beginning to show some notable new construction progress at the former Don’s Seafood property.
Following the demolition of the former restaurant and the start of construction in 2025, visible progress at the site appeared to stall for a period of time. However, foundation work has been begun moving forward over the past several weeks.
During a drone pass over the property about two weeks ago, we noticed what appeared to be new underground plumbing installed throughout a series of fresh trenches. The dirt appeared recently disturbed, with little to no grass or overgrowth visible.
We made another pass over the property with our drone last week and noticed that much of the foundation area had since been covered with what appears to be a vapor barrier placed over the underground piping and prepped dirt.
This stage of construction typically takes place shortly before reinforcement is installed and concrete is poured for the building’s foundation. Based on the visible progress, we could see the foundation slab for Hotel Lafayette poured pretty soon. Once the concrete has been poured and allowed to cure, vertical construction could begin taking shape over the following weeks.
In case you missed it, Hotel Lafayette is planned as an 83-room boutique hotel featuring two premier suites, 2,500 square feet of event space, and a resort-style outdoor pool and bar.
Provided Rendering of Hotel Lafayette
See initial Hotel Lafayette post: https://developinglafayette.com/wp/former-dons-seafood-demolition-set-to-begin-for-the-new-hotel-lafayette-in-downtown-lafayette/
The ground floor will also feature a roughly 4,500-square-foot Bayou Teche Brewing and Cajun Saucer location offering on-site beer production, wood-fired pizza, tiki cocktails, and other food and beverage options. Bayou Teche is also expected to provide in-room dining, serve private e
See more about Bayou Teche Brewing and Cajun Saucer: https://developinglafayette.com/wp/bayou-teche-brewing-cajun-saucer-wood-fired-pizza-coming-soon-to-downtown-lafayette-inside-the-new-hotel-lafayette/
The project was originally expected to be completed during the summer of 2026, though that timeline has clearly shifted and a revised official completion date has not been announced.
Based solely on the current stage of construction, we estimate that Hotel Lafayette could be completed sometime within the next year, provided construction continues moving forward at a steady pace.
We will continue to follow the progress!
