Hampton Inn Finds Home In West Jefferson By Fawn Roark A Hampton Inn will be finding its home in West Jefferson near the Highway 163 intersection, according to Vivian Miller of Ashe High Country Realty and the father-son team of Amar Patel and Nick Dhana who will be bringing the hotel here. Patel, a development officer for Hampton Inn, said the proposed hotel will have 58 rooms and is planned to be three stories tall. It will also have an indoor pool and a conference center. The Hampton Inn site is located near Arby’s and construction is set to begin within the next month, according to Patel. Between 12 and 15 full-time employees will be hired at least with an additional four to five part-time staff to be hired as well. The projected completion date is February, ’07. Finding Ashe County was kind of an accident, but Dhana said they are very pleased to be here. Patel said they were looking at various cities to find a new site for their hotel and their architect lives about an hour from here. A sister of one of the Hampton Inn representatives also lives in Ashe County so different things led to them coming here. They also talked with County Economic Director Pat Mitchell about the area. “Everyone had positive things to say and here we are,” Patel said. Owner/Operator Dhana agreed. “From the first look, I fell in love with it,” he noted. At least one member of the father-son team plans to be moving to the county soon. They own hotels throughout the state with a focus on many eastern North Carolina counties including Fayetteville, Raleigh, Warsaw, Wilson and Clinton. Ashe High Country was the real estate company handling the property sale. AF Financial Group is handing the financing as well. Currently, there are more than 1,305 Hampton hotels located in 49 states, according to www.hamptoninn.com. Additionally, there are international locations in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, totaling more than 131,500 guest rooms in the Hampton system. In 2004, the Hampton® brand, including Hampton Inn® and Hampton Inn & Suites® hotels, celebrated 20 years as an award-winning leader in the mid-priced hotel segment. All Hampton hotels offer warm surroundings and a friendly service backed by a 100% Hampton Satisfaction Guarantee. High-quality accommodations and services, combined with numerous locations and competitive rates, have made Hampton a leader in its segment and one of the fastest growing hotel brands. Hilton Hotels Corporation is recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises approximately 2,300 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world’s best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton®, Conrad®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Club® and Homewood Suites by Hilton®. For reservations, call 1-800-HAMPTON or visit them online at www.hamptoninn.com. Ashe High Country Realty offers realtors who live, work and play in Ashe County and who are knowledgeable professionals in Ashe County Real Estate and the surrounding areas of the North Carolina Mountains. They are constantly raising the bar on friendly professional service and do not hesitate to offer past customers and clients as their reference, according to their website found at www.ashecountyrealestate.com.