GALION — This city’s newest establishment should be open for business by the end of February, according to Eric Pittman, general manager of the Sleep Inn and Suites under construction at the corner of Ohio 598 and Brandt Road. The hotel just south of the Ohio 30/Ohio 598 intersection, on the north side of town.
“We’re planning a ribbon cutting ceremony Feb. 14 or 15, and then a grand opening toward the end of February,” Pittman said. “Ideally we would like to get all of our staff on board and have a couple weeks to go over things before we open to the public.”
The hotel will have 62 rooms, including three rooms with king-size beds and a Jacuzzi. There will be a board/conference room that can be leased for meetings and will seat about 12 people. There will be a full kitchen and an indoor “kidney-shaped” swimming pool. Part of the amenities include breakfast for guests.
Pittman said rates at the hotel, owned by Choice Hotels International, will be competitive with other hotels in the area … from about $99 and up.
“We’re also going to have a 15-passenger shuttle van to take guests back and forth to wher they want to go,” he said. “If they want to go to Galion to have some fun, or to the race track at Mid-Ohio, or to the Mansfield speedway, we’ll be happy to do that. As far as I know, there’s not another hotel within 60 miles that provides that kind of service.
“We also plan to work with other hotels in the area, hotels that may not have a conference room,” Pittman said. “If they want to use ours, we can get their guest back and forth. We’ll work out arrangements that if we are full, we’ll send people to them. If they are full, they’ll recommend us.”
The Galion Sleep Inn is about a $5.5 million investment by Choice Hotels International. It will employ between 20 and 25 part- and full-time employee. Most positions have already been filled. However, there still are a few job openings. You can apply for those spots by sending a resume to [email protected].
Winesburg Builders, of Millersburg, is the contractor for the hotel. The hotel was built by Amish workers and includes furniture made by Amish woodworkers.
The Galion version of Sleep Inn is a new one.
“This is the first of this prototype in the United States,” Pittman said.
You can get a glimpse of what the Galion site will look like on this Youtube video. Or find it by visiting YouTube.com on the internet and searching for for Sleep Inn prototype.
“We’ll have ADA rooms on the first floor, and one more on the second floor, but we do have an elevator,” Pittman said.
The company that is building the hotel in Galion also built the Wallhouse Hotel in Walnut Creek, Ohio.
“When we get the hotel ready to go, a group of Amish women will come in and clean the place one last time — from top to bottom — to make certain we are really ready to go,” Pittman said.
The hotel entrance is not on Ohio 598, but on Brandt Road. The actual address is 6698 Brandt Road, Galion.
“We’re excited,” Pittman said. “We are just now doing our pricing and getting everything entered onto the website, and hopefully by the beginning of next week you’ll be able to start making reservations online.”
