Construction begins for 57-unit hotel near Drum

Construction has begun on a Days Inn hotel that will be about a mile from Fort Drum’s main gate in LeRay.

The 57-unit hotel will be on Route 11, south of White Pines Plaza, and will cater to the military population, said Bhavik D. Patel, whose father Dinesh T. is developing the property.

“It will mainly be Fort Drum families, soldiers and contractors,” he said.

His father is also the owner of the Royal Inn Motel in Pamelia, and has said that demand for hotels is increasing.

The hotel’s proximity to the post is not its only advantage.

The duo expect it to open next summer, when the Fort Drum connector road — which will link Fort Drum’s west gate on Route 11 and Interstate 81 — is scheduled to open

In addition, the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team – a 3,500-soldier unit — will have returned from Afghanistan that spring.

While the hotel won’t be an extended stay facility, he said, military families often rent the rooms for more than a week while they look for housing.

“We’re really excited to build this hotel and have it open for our troops and soldiers coming back from Afghanistan,” he said.

Last year, the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency approved breaks from sales tax totaling $102,000 and from mortgage recording tax totaling $12,000. It also extended a $133,717 loan for the project. The money can be accessed after construction is complete.

The hotel’s rates will be on par with its competitors, the younger Mr. Patel said, and it will include “luxury amenities,” which he has not yet disclosed.

“It’s definitely going to stand out from the rest,” he said.