PARKERSBURG - A group interested in developing the Salvation Army property in Parkersburg announced plans to build a hotel in Marietta.
MPH Hotels Inc. of St. Petersburg, Fla., and the P.M. Co. of Vienna along with SJB Properties Inc. said the new $8 million Comfort Suites franchise will be under construction in the spring on Ohio 7 (Newport Pike) near the Marietta Country Club and adjacent to the Fairfield Inn and Suites, of which MPH and the P.M. Co. opened this year.
"Adding a franchise service to the local economy is exciting for us," said Michael P. Holtz, president and chief executive officer of MPH Hotels.
Article Photos
Photo by Jeff Baughan
MPH Hotels Inc. of St. Petersburg, Fla., the P.M. Co. of Vienna and SJB Properties Friday announced plans to construct an $8 million Comfort Suites in Marietta. The site is near the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Ohio 7, which was opened by the companies this year.
MPH Hotels and the P.M. Co. this spring announced they were interested in developing a 100-room hotel and restaurant on Fifth Street where the Salvation Army is located in Parkersburg. The Salvation Army would be relocated from the 4-acre site.
That project is unaffected by the Marietta project, other than the same companies are involved, said Kim Wolfe, vice president of sales and marketing for MPH Hotels.
"We are still actively searching for land in Parkersburg," Wolfe said.
The Marietta hotel will have 102 rooms, all suites, and the design will be the new prototype featuring a two-story lobby and new colors, the company said. Microwaves and refrigerators will be in all rooms, the company said.
With a 24-hour swimming pool, other amenities will be a whirlpool, high-speed internet both wired and wireless, a meeting room and a board room.
"Our hotels are built with the traveler in mind," Holtz said. "The design and service is fresh, simple and smart."
Mayor Joe Matthews, who participated in the ribbon cutting of the Fairfield Inn in April, was pleased with the news.
"I think it's fantastic," Matthews said. "People continue to believe in Marietta."
Much of the new development in town is on Ohio 7, Matthews said. A reason is that is where developable land exists, he said.
"And a lot of stuff is going out that way," he said.
Another impact for the hotel industry that will soon be coming is from oil and natural gas drilling, Matthews said.
"That's going to hit here one of these days soon," Matthews said.
In addition to the Fairfield Inn and Suites-Marietta, MPH and the P.M. Co. own and manage three other franchise hotels in West Virginia.
MPH owns or manages 13 hotels with 1,047 rooms and has another four under construction for a total room count of 1,380.
The P.M. Co. is a leading commercial development and management company holding more than 750,000 square feet of commercial real estate.
SJB Properties, which manages the Fairfield Inn in Marietta, owns or manages 10 limited-service hotels, such as the Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn and Best Western, in Ohio and West Virginia and has been involved in more than 30 hotels in the last 25 years.
