It happened at the Hampton Inn on West Morton. Jacksonville firefighters were called at around 12:15 and found a small area of the exterior portion of the building on fire on the southwest side, where the hotel pool is located.
Jacksonville Fire Captain Brian Nyberg believes the fire was caused by a discarded cigarette.
Nyberg says the hotel was evacuated. He says the fire was extinguished fairly quickly, and that the fire damage was limited to the outside. He says some smoke did get inside, and was ventilated.
The hotel has since re-opened. Nyberg estimates between $3,000 to $5,000 worth of damage was caused.
Fire crews were on scene for about an hour and a half.