Hampton Inn Adds 101 Rooms at Eastwood Complex
NILES, Ohio – The newly opened Hampton Inn and Suites fills a long-standing void for a Hilton property at the Eastwood Mall Complex, a TMI Hospitality official said Thursday.
Local officeholders joined Hampton Inn and TMI representatives to cut a ribbon at the Hampton Inn, which opened Sept. 1. The 101-room hotel joins the Residence Inn, another TMI property in the mall complex.
TMI, based in Fargo, N.D., has nearly 200 properties across the country. It represents national franchises that include Hilton, Marriott and IHG.
“We’ve done so well with our Residence Inn built just over two years ago that we decided to build a new hotel here as well,” said Sheree Moore, TMI director of area sales.
“We have a prime location,” she said. “The Eastwood Mall Complex itself is the best location in Niles to build a hotel. There are 250 stores, restaurants within walking distance. Our location sold us on building this hotel here.”
Where the Residence Inn is geared toward extended-stay customers, the new Hampton property is targeted at corporate, group and local markets, Moore continued.
“This hotel is going to be a good fit,” she added. “It’s needed a Hilton product here for a long time.”
The next-closest Hilton properties are in Canfield and on Belmont Avenue in Liberty Township, said Marissa Price, general manager. “So anybody that’s working in the Niles area that is Hilton-loyal, we are right down the street for them.”
Occupancy has run 75% to 80% in its first two months, reported Christa Blasko, director of market sales for both the Residence Inn and Hampton Inn in Niles.
“We’re very pleased with how we’re performing. Numbers have been great,” she said. “We expect to see them grow substantially over the next couple of months.”
Since it opened, the Residence Inn has seen occupancy of 95% or above, said Trumbull County Commissioner Frank Fuda. “We’re hoping this [hotel] is going to be the same,” she said.
In the near term, Blasko expects the hotel to benefit from the holiday shopping season. “It’s a busy shopping season and we are in the heart of it,” she said.
TMI‘s Residence Inn — in conjunction with the Cafaro Co., which owns the mall complex, and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill — is offering what Blasko describes as a “shop, dine and stay package” for visitors. The hotel is discounting room rates “substantially” for the promotion, she said.
The package is aimed at people who like a weekend full of shopping and taking in restaurants, and “making it a social event,” said Joe Bell, spokesman for the Cafaro Co. For $150, guests get a one-night stay at the Residence Inn, a $25 gift card for Firebirds and a $25 gift card that can be redeemed at any of the mall stores.
“It’s a $250 value for $150,” he said.
While she did not elaborate, Blasko said the Hampton Inn has “something special coming at the beginning of the year.”
Both properties also should benefit from the opening of the conference center Cafaro is developing on the mall property. Bell could not provide an opening date for the conference center, which has been delayed because vetting for an operator continues, but anticipates an opening during the second quarter.
“It’s been a moving target from the beginning,” he said.
The center could accommodate up to 1,000 for one event or a business open house or small convention that might attract as many as 2,000 people, Bell said.
“We don’t have enough rooms for all those people,” he continued. “The Residence Inn suffers from having the happy problem of very high occupancy. On any given day there may be certain rooms available.”
Pictured: Marissa Price is the general manager of the new hotel; Christa M. Blasko is director of sales.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
