The construction of the Fairfield Inn on Route 11 is spurring optimism for business owners and government officials in Canton. Many people hope the third hotel in the village will allow for more visitors to stay during the busy times of a cyclical economy and expand local commerce.
“We are excited,” said Deputy Mayor and Village Trustee Carol Pynchon. “During the busy times of year, there aren’t enough places for people to stay. More accommodations raises the bar for other establishments so we will have a lot of good choices. It will also give the opportunity to attract bigger events and conferences,” Pynchon said.
“It’ll create jobs in construction as well as staffing the hotel,” said Village Trustee and member of the Economic Development committee Karl Proemm. “The colleges often have overlapping events like graduation and there is a need for more space. It will be a plus for Canton and for the whole county,” Proemm stated.
The hotel is in a part of Canton that receives a lot of business from conferences and visiting sports teams. “The construction of the hotel will impact business significantly,” said the manager at Pizza Hut Tyler Ploof. “We already get a lot of business from the two other hotels so adding another one right next to us can only help.”
Managers of stores in the shopping plaza neighboring the hotel construction zone echoed Ploof’s enthusiasm. “Business will definitely increase,” said the manager at Ye Ol’ Liquor Inc. Kris Bloom. “We are hoping the hotel will bring business to the whole plaza,” said the manager at Save-a-lot Food Store Nancy Bristol.
Although the hotel will bring more business to the community, local government officials evaluated the proposal for the hotel with an unbiased outlook. “We always view people wanting to invest in our community as a positive thing,” said Mayor Mike Dalton.
“We are always looking for growth. And (the Fairfield Inn) was the type of growth we weren’t in a position to say yes or no to.”
The Fairfield Inn is approximately 20 percent built, and is due to open in April or May, according to an employee for Visions Hotels who requested to remain anonymous. The hotel will contain 80 guest rooms, a fitness center, conference center and swimming pool.