MALONE — Wallpaper is going up, furniture is being unwrapped, and the final push is on to finish the Holiday Inn Express and Suites before its July 20 opening.
Fresh drywall, bare cement floors and holes where there ought to be windows were all there was to see of the future lobby of the 81-room hotel during a tour of the construction site just off U.S. Route 11 near the Malone-Dufort Airport.
"I'm very happy," said Town Supervisor Howard Maneely. "It's going to create a lot of good jobs and give people a choice of where to stay.
"Inside, there are amenities like a pool and hot tub which we've never had around here before. We're really moving up."
Guest rooms on the top two floors of the four-story, $8 million site are getting the most attention right now, with dressers, night stands, easy chairs and lamps already in place and awaiting the king- and queen-sized beds.
"We're excited to be here in Malone," said Glenn Hardman, president of RGH Hospitality.
RGH is not only building the hotel but will serve as management company for the project developers, Branch Commercial Development LLP.
RGH also operates the Hilton Garden Inn in Fishkill.
Jennifer Masten was named the general manager and comes to the position after 13 years in the hospitality industry.
Between 20 and 25 people will be hired for a variety of positions, including front-desk associates, housekeeping personnel, breakfast attendants and more, Hardman said.
Across the property from the hotel, Branch Development is opening a restaurant, Mo's Pub and Grill, which he said features a 250-guest banquet room for wedding receptions and other large functions.
The Holiday Inn Express has a ground-floor, indoor pool, with a spa large enough to hold 20 people, and an attached outdoor patio.
There is a fully equipped fitness room, on-premise laundry for the facility's linen needs and a pantry near the front desk stocked with snacks and essentials for guests to purchase.
Business travelers will have access to a fax machine and both wireless and land Internet connections in certain sites. A conference room is available for smaller-sized groups to hold meetings.
The hotel features 15 suites in five configurations, with either a king-sized or two queen-sized beds.
Each has a dry bar, a square ottoman, a small coffee table and a round dining table, as well as flat-screen televisions in both the living space and the bedroom.
Maneely said families that take a weekend away and stay in Plattsburgh might choose to stay closer to home with a Holiday Inn here.
"I have a great respect for the tough time people are having all around the country," he said, "but this hotel will bring a lot of dollars to our area, and I wish them the best of luck."
E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
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