A 38-room hotel under construction in Annandale will fill an accomodation gap and provide an economic boost when it opens in June, city officials say. The AmericInn Lodge and Suites is being built along Highway 55 on the east side of the city and is expected to be open June 15. Owner-developer JTS Development LLC held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, Jan. 13, though work actually began before Christmas. JTS is owned by John, Tim and Sue Ferrell of Annandale. “There’s a definite need,” said Marlene Young, Annandale Area Chamber of Commerce president. The chamber gets calls all year long about people coming to the area and inquiring about the best place to stay, she said. “We have all these events that bring people in but then we end up sending them to other cities to stay.” Mayor Marian “Sam” Harmoning said Annandale hasn’t had a place to put people attending wedding parties, graduations and school events like basketball and wrestling tournaments. The hotel will improve business for the police training center, where some groups taking more than a day of instruction haven’t been able to stay in Annandale, she said. “We need a hotel that is 24-hours a day operational,” Harmoning said, “that does cater to families. “I think it will be a wonderful boost to the economy.” Young added that according to the industry, for every dollar spent on a hotel a matching dollar will be spent in the city. Some other businesses may have to rethink their hours and look at Sunday opening, she said, because you don’t want a hotel full of people and everything else in town closed. The hotel, which has been in the works for five years, is already taking reservations for June 15 and later, said Matt Williams, vice president of development for ETC Enterprises Inc. ETC is the general contractor and will manage the hotel. The two-story building will feature an indoor swimming pool and hot tub, he said. Half the 38 units will be one- and two-room suites, larger than standard rooms with a sofa, large chair, refrigerator, microwave oven and hot tub. The hotel will have a spacious lobby with a vaulted ceiling, fireplace, conversation area and comfortable furnishings. There are about 200 AmericInns nationwide, Williams said, and all feature concrete block rather than frame construction and a concrete ceiling between the first and second levels for soundproofing. “They’re the most soundproof hotel chain out there,” he said.
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