One of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s newest hotels is set to display its amenities with a grand opening tonight.
SpringHill Suites by Marriott will host a cocktail reception and ribbon cutting with more than 150 business professionals expected at the event from 5 to 7 p.m. The $20 million, 135-room hotel in the Stabler Corporate Center in Upper Saucon Township is the first in the Greater Lehigh Valley for High Hotels Ltd., an affiliate of High Real Estate Group LLC in Lancaster.
The 85,000-square-foot, five-story hotel sits in a prime spot for the growing hotel industry in the region, according to Russell Urban, president of High Hotels Inc.
“The overall Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton corridor is growing, and like a lot of these high-growth corridors, you end up with a lot of older hotel market serving new demand,” Urban said. “Because this is such a high-growth area, you are going to see a lot of hotels. They are creating a new segment of the market.”
In the Center Valley area, there is a new submarket of hotel demand, driven partly by corporate and leisure demand but also by the many health facilities, universities, wedding venues and sports complexes all around the area, Urban said.
Its proximity to The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley and the Stabler Corporate Center is another strong attraction, he added.
Urban sees Homewood Suites, another nearby hotel that recently opened off Center Valley Parkway, as complementary to SpringHill Suites. Homewood serves more of the extended stay traveler while SpringHill Suites focuses on serving the traveler who stays one or two nights, he said.
“The new hotel product will do well just by virtue of being new,” Urban said. “There’s strong growth in this market.”
The décor of this hotel also incorporates local art, something he hopes will be appealing to local business patrons.
The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce will conduct the ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. The event, which includes tours, live music, open bar and catered food, takes place at 3800 West Drive, Center Valley.
