Fountain Microtel Ground Breaking Ceremony

Participants of the official groundbreaking ceremony. September 13, 2018. Photo by Melissa Stewart

Tom Cave of Accurate TDC, LLC, the developer of the new Fountain Microtel Inn & Suites located off I-25 near Fort Carson, addresses the attendants of the official groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 13. Photo by Melissa Stewart

Drone photo of the Microtel Fountain site. By CR Chambers Photography

The new Microtel Inn & Suites is a franchised Wyndham Hotel owned by Fountain Hotel LLC and managed by Channel Point Hospitality.

This is going to be a real boon to the city. It’ll draw a lot of people and they’ll go into the city and find other places to eat and shop. It’s just a total advantage, and we’re really happy.””
— Fountain City Council Member, Richard Applegate
FOUNTAIN, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Community leaders and businesspeople attended the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new 63-room Fountain Microtel Inn & Suites, located at 7710 Office Circle near the south entrance of Fort Carson, Sept. 13.

The first concrete pour took place on Sept. 8, but the Thursday ceremony signified the official commencement of construction on the new hotel that local government officials like City Council Member Richard Applegate expect to bring economic growth to the City of Fountain.

“There’s no place to really come and stay in a hotel, especially a nice one like this,” Applegate said. “This is going to be a real boon to the city because it’ll draw a lot of people and they’ll go into the city and find other places to eat and shop. It’s just a total advantage, and we’re really happy. It’s been a long time coming.”

Applegate said that its neighbor, Colorado Springs, has historically drawn much of the local tourism and business. The smaller City of Fountain was not as appealing as Colorado Springs, but now the city is growing and developing with new housing developments and shopping centers. Local infrastructure is improving, and the city is developing into a place that people come to and feel comfortable.

“People just need to keep an eye on Fountain,” Applegate said.

The new Microtel sits next to I-25 and near a Love’s Travel Center but otherwise is surrounded by open land.

The new Microtel Inn & Suites is a franchised Wyndham Hotel owned by Fountain Hotel LLC and managed by Channel Point Hospitality. This is the first Microtel for Fountain Hotel LLC, though the company has been in the area since 2005. The husband and wife ownership team has owned a local gas station and Super 8. They hope to begin construction on a second hotel within the next five years.

The process of opening a new hotel requires the involvement of several businesses, individuals and government agencies over the course of several years. First, Beckett Development chose the land and equipped it for water, sewage and electricity.

“I am just so glad to be here and to see this hotel coming up, it’s been a dream for a long time, and it’s absolutely (important) that the city of Fountain have this hotel,” Audrey Beckett a land developer with Beckett Development said. Beckett added that the new Microtel is the first large hotel designed to serve the residents in the Fountain area. “This is really, I believe, an important landmark that’s come to the community, and I believe (the community) will really benefit from it.”

Fountain Hotel LLC and Accurate TDC, LLC, a local development company, chose the land and began planning construction and obtaining the required permits and funding. Finally, companies like Bedrock Construction Group play their part in building the hotel that will subsequently be passed on to Channel Point Hospitality. The hotel is projected to open in April 2019 and create between 15 to 20 new, permanent jobs in the area.

“Opening a new hotel is multifaceted, we want to be actively engaged with the community, create a good digital presence online, and make sure we can get as many heads in beds when we open the doors,” Benjamin Berger, Director of New Hotel Operations for Channel Point Hospitality, a company that manages nearly 20 hotels in Colorado said. “We will have a full management team, that’s both front of the house and back of the house, (as well as) front desk, housekeeping and maintenance. We expect to bring the general manager on about three months before we open, and the rest of the team we’ll hire about a month and a half to a month out.”

Out of the 21 brands that Wyndham owns, Microtel is considered an upper economy brand. According to Tom Fransen, the Regional Vice President of Development for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham plays a role in determining what hotel brand is suitable for the area.

“This project has been almost two years in the making,” Fransen said. “Finding the right piece of land and the right location and mirroring the right brand with the location is really important. We’re excited about being in Fountain for our Microtel by Wyndham brand, and we actually look forward to doing more in Colorado.”

Tom Cave of Accurate TDC, LLC realized that Fountain was a good market and approached Wyndham about building a Microtel in the area. Microtel is one of the few hotel brands that requires an entirely new structure to be developed and will not allow refurbishing of existing hotels. As a franchisor, Wyndham representatives will keep in contact with the developer and construction company to ensure Microtel standards are met, but about eight weeks before opening, Wyndham will work closely with the management company to establish the new location’s online presence and make it accessible through the company’s booking sites.

“Every market is different, and there might be a market that it doesn’t even make sense for us to be,” Fransen said. “We have a brand for about every travel location.”

Microtel is currently the fastest growing brand and a good brand for upper-end economy travelers needing a place to rest while traveling along a major highway, Fransen said.

“We’ve got such a great location,” Applegate said as he pointed to the mountain range lining I-25 that Microtel guests will see. “This a perfect location right here, and it’s going to benefit the city because it’s going to bring tourist dollars in, and this is something we need.”

Michael Perini
Perini & Associates
719.651.5943
email us here

Microtel Aerial Footage -- Site and Ground Breaking