By Linda Stinnett

The owners of Derby’s Hampton Inn are preparing to start two additional hotel projects – one right beside the Derby hotel and a second in Wellington.

The decision to build a Holiday Inn Express and Suites just north of the Hampton Inn was announced some time ago, but the initial dirt work on the site is just beginning. The site plan application for the Holiday Inn Express is expected to be on the Feb. 7 agenda of the Derby Planning Commission, according to City Planner Cody Bird.

While the application has not been made in writing, the city has been in contact with the agent for the new Holiday Inn Express, Bird said.

“They are moving along on it, but we don’t have an official submission yet,” he said.

Owners Johnny and P.J. Parmar were not available for comment, but Matt Wood, front desk manager at the Hampton Inn, said the projects in both communities are in final planning stages.

The Holiday Inn Express in Derby will offer something the community has requested since the Hampton Inn opened, he said – a meeting room which will seat 200 to 250 people. In addition, an exterior patio area connected to the meeting room will provide overflow seating and space, he said. 

“This will help a lot of Derby residents actually have a place to have dinners and receptions,” he said.

The Derby Holiday Inn Express will be similar to the Maize Holiday Inn Express and Suites, also owned by the Parmars. Wood said the design features a grand entry foyer which makes a first impression above and beyond most hotels of that flag.

“You do not think of it as a Holiday Inn when you walk into it,” he said. “It’s going to be very, very nice.”

The Holiday Inn Express in Derby should be finished by October or November, depending on how quickly the plans are finalized and then approved by the city, he said.

The three-level hotel planned for the east side of Wellington on U.S. Highway 160 will be a Best Western Plus, Wood said. It will feature a meeting room about half the size of the one planned for Derby and could have up to 83 rooms, he said, depending on the outcome of contract negotiations for ongoing rentals at that location.

Construction plans for that hotel are running approximately two months behind the Derby plans, he said. 

The building plans do reflect the success of Derby’s first hotel – the Hampton Inn. Wood said that hotel continues to meet or exceed projections.

“We’ve been very blessed with Derby,” he said. “I think we’ve had a very good year.”