Work is now underway at the future site of a $35-million hotel development in Tecumseh.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday at the site just off Sylvestre Drive, on the south side of County Road 22, in an area between Lesperance Road and Manning Road.
Petcon Realty Corp. is building a five-storey hotel with 142-rooms, on-site amenities such as a pool and fitness facilities, 215 on-site parking spaces, and a separate commercial/retail building on the four acre property.
A franchise agreement has already been signed with the Marriott group for the extended stay hotel under the TownPlace Suites by Marriott brand.
It's meant to cater to people working in the area for a longer duration of time as the rooms will feature fully equipped kitchens, as well as separate living/working and sleeping areas, along with adjustable work spaces with built-in shelves and lighting.
Petcon is also behind the nearby Holiday Inn off Amy Croft Drive in Lakeshore, which has served a number of extended stay clients, spurring the need for this new project.
David Petretta, President of the Petcon Hospitality Group, says these are meant to give people the feeling of being at home while they're away at work, different from their existing hotel.
"We are finding a lot of our guests are extended stay that are here for longer durations," he says. "Then on the weekends, we're getting a lot of people coming in for visits and recreation."
Petretta says there is so much growth in the region and a lot of businesses are coming here.
"The battery plant and hospital are going to be a huge driver in the next year and a half," he says. "We've had some success down road and the interesting part is that it's not an extended stay property, and we've noticed a lot of our guests, the majority, are using it for long-term. So we knew we needed to provide a property specific to those kind of guests."
Petretta believes work on the project will take 16 to 18 months, pushing the completion date to sometime in the fall of 2025.
It's expected the new hotel will generate 70 to 80 permanent jobs once it opens.