Aug. 23–CLAREMORE —
Claremore city officials and local business owners braved the heat Thursday afternoon to hear the formal announcement of a new hotel scheduled to come to town: Holiday Inn Express & Suites.
Developer Pet Patel thanked guests for coming to the future site of the hotel at 1400 W. Country Club Lane, just east of Wal-Mart — and said the project should help Claremore grow as a community.
“We’re going to be building an 80-room hotel with a separate conference center — about a 5,000-6,000 sq. ft. conference center, with our main objective being to meet the needs of the community in terms of hosting events — weddings, business meetings, reunions, holiday parties, etc.” said Patel, owner/developer of the project.
“Today, we’re making the formal announcement of our vision for the site, putting up signage to indicate such and showing some renderings of what we’ve got in mind for the hotel.
“Right now, we’re hoping to be able to break ground before Thanksgiving, with construction to take anywhere from nine to 11 months, so probably about this time next year, we should be open for business,” he said.
Patel, whose company also owns the Comfort Inn in Claremore, said he’s been in the Claremore community for the past five years. During this time, he has developed a good relationship with city officials, seen business in the area grow, and has contemplated adding a new hotel for some time.
“We felt this location (on Country Club) was an excellent choice for what we’ve got in mind for it — it’s just off SH66, and is proximated next to Wal-Mart and across the street from the move theater, so there’s a high convenience aspect for people who stay (in the hotel),” he said. “Plus, we’re taking a building that’s been sitting around empty and we’re going to develop that — we’re very excited about that.”
“This is going to be a great amenity for Claremore,” said Tanya Andrews, executive director, Visit Claremore. “The conference space will help bring in additional business which has otherwise had to go outside the city, and of course the hotel’s location will fill a need whenever someone’s looking for a hotel to host a meeting — it’s right of Route 66 and literally within walking distance of Wal-Mart and Claremore Cinema 8. This is a great day for Claremore.”
During his brief address, Patel expressed gratitude to city officials, among them Claremore Mayor Mickey Perry, who reciprocated his appreciation for Patel and the project, City Manager Jim Thomas, and others.
