[1]The newest Williams Hotels property, the TownePlace Suites at 400 Bell Blvd., opened on Monday morning. Photo by Kate Shumakova
By Kate Shumakova [2]
BELLEVILLE – Williams Hotels [3] hopes that its newest hotel, at the west end of Bell Boulevard, will help attract more development in that area, the company’s vice-president says.
“We are hoping that we are a catalyst for some more growth along this boulevard – whether that’s commercial, more tourism, etc.,” Ryan Williams told QNet News Tuesdau. “That’s a part of our risk and our optimism for putting this hotel into the growth of the region.”
The hotel, a TownPlace Suites by Marriott [4] that had its official opening Monday, stands alone in the area, surrounded by empty space.
Belleville’s manager of policy planning says the city is expecting more development in the area, but whether that happens depends on the private sector.
“The land is all privately owned, so the city wouldn’t be the developer. It would be initiated by the landowner or landowners of that area,” Art MacKay said. “There are some developments in the works for that part of the city.”
“It’s our desire to see more industrial and commercial development for sure, and Bell Boulevard is a prime site – lots of opportunities out there, lots of vacant land,” MacKay added.
The TownePlace Suites is located at 400 Bell Blvd. There has been widespread speculation that the casino planned for the Belleville/Quinte West area by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. might be built in that same area.
However, Williams said proximity to the potential casino site was never a reason to choose that particular property for the new hotel.
“The casino being here is not even on our radar. We know it’s been a discussion for about 20 years, so we will see if it even happens,” he said.
TownPlace Suites is the Williams’s fourth hotel in this region, along with Holiday Inn Express & Suites [5], Best Western [6] and Fairfield Inn & Suites [7]. Williams said that what sets the new hotel apart from the others is the fully stocked kitchen in each room.
[8]TownePlace Suites by Marriott is an apartment-style hotel with a kitchen in every room. Photo by Kate Shumakova
“It’s meant to be a residential style, really the most modern residential hotel with a kitchen in every single room, but with the amenities that we have in our other hotels, including an indoor pool and a fitness room,” he said. “There is a guest laundry; there are two bright meeting rooms and a boardroom … You just have a home away from home.”
Because of that, the TownePlace Suites is more a long-term-stay hotel, he said.
“It really will cater not just to people who want to stay one night, but to people who want to stay multiple nights … with the ability to use it just like your home. We are hoping with the growth through tourism and population growth, and residential, and even commercial growth … to see this region grow a little bit,” he said.
The building was fully constructed by local companies, and brings new jobs to the area.
“We’ve already hired 26 people,” Williams said. “When we are fully running, we will employ up to 35, 40 (people).
All the artwork in the hotel was done by local artist Mark E. Hopper, he said.