Holiday Inn sets $6.3M project in Austintown

By Elise Franco | May 4, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Elise Franco

AUSTINTOWN

Construction of a $6.3 million Holiday Inn Express will begin this summer near Interstate 80 and state Route 46.

The three-story, 48,935-square-foot hotel will employ 25 full-time and 13 part-time workers, township Trustee Lisa Oles said.

“Any time a company is willing to invest in our community, we’re excited about it,” she said.

Oles said construction is scheduled to begin sometime in June and should be completed in May 2011.

“They’ve already secured their permit fees through the zoning department,” she said.

Township Zoning Inspector Darren Crivelli was unavailable to comment Monday.

Trustee James Davis said the hotel will be located behind Bob Evans Restaurant off state Route 46 next to the Interstate 80 West on-ramp. He said this location is ideal for a Holiday Inn.

“It’s an outstanding location,” he said. “One of the greatest assets you can have is a busy interstate, running between Chicago and New York City ... And when you’re talking about a brand new hotel, I think it’s going to do very well there.”

Oles said she met last week with county and state representatives to discuss possible incentives to help lower the construction costs.

“I know the [Mahoning County] commissioners and the [Youngstown/Warren Regional] chamber of commerce are going to look into that,” she said.

Davis said the new hotel, which will have a conference room and a banquet room, may draw in customers from other hotels on that same stretch of highway and even from the Holiday Inn Boardman on South Avenue.

About six other large hotels are at the intersection of I-80 and state Route 46 intersection.

“There’s going to be a little bit of competition,” he said. “But with the right management working that property, I think it could bring in business from outside the area and try to get people coming into GM and Lordstown too.

Davis added: “When you’re talking about the quality level of Holiday Inn Express ... They should have no problem in that area filling that hotel.”