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Hampton Inn proposed for FF
Published 11:16am Thursday, October 18, 2012The owners of 14 Hampton Inn hotels across the Midwest are planning on building one in Fergus Falls.
Brian and Vibha Patel have purchased the lots along Western Avenue on the west side of Fergus Falls near Interstate 94, where the buildings occupied by the El Tequila and Speedway restaurants, as well as the Four Seasons car wash, and plan to demolish the current facilities and construct the Hampton Inn hotel, Brian said.
He said he hopes construction will begin in March. Patel has not yet secured a franchise and design plan, including the number of rooms, for the Fergus Falls hotel. While Otter Tail County records do not show that the property has been transferred, they do indicate that the mortgage has been paid in full, and former Speedway owner Curt Burdich confirmed that the sale has been completed.
The Patels are currently building a $6.5 million Hampton Inn in Jamestown, which will include 90 rooms ranging from suites to smaller single rooms, according to a story in the Jamestown Sun.
The facility will also include a pool, two-story breakfast area and meeting rooms with capacity for 40 to 70 people, and is expected to be completed in April 2013. The hotel will employ about 40 people when operational.
Patel said he felt the location near Fargo, where he and his wife reside, and fact that Fergus Falls is a smaller community fits with other hotels they own.
The Hampton Inn chain, owned by Hilton, comprised more than 1,800 hotels across the world, according to Wikipedia.
“Hampton Inn is the number one hotel franchise in the world,” Brian said. “I think (Fergus Falls customers) will like the rooms.”
The Hampton Inn would be the first new hotel in Fergus Falls since the AmericInn was constructed in 1995. Fergus Falls currently has 320 hotel rooms.
Fergus Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau director Jean Bowman said Hampton Inn is “a good, welcome brand.”
Bowman also noted that, as of Aug. 31, the lodging tax collected was up about 5.5 percent compared to last year. The city collects lodging tax of 3 percent on every hotel room sold within city limits.
