Hampton Inn and Suites opens 113-room, five-story site in Thibodaux

Thibodaux’s Hampton Inn and Suites kicked off 2009 in grand style.

The 113-room hotel, located in the northern end of the city, officially opened for business Jan. 8.

Designed to serve business travelers and leisure guests, Hampton Inn and Suites is the second hotel to open in the area within the last six months. Days Inn and Suites, located across the street off of N. Canal Boulevard, opened in July 2008.

The groundbreaking for the five-story structure was held in March 2007 and the hotel was slated for completion by mid-2008. However, the construction process ran long and was further slowed by the arrival of hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

“We are running a little behind schedule,” General Manager Blair Stancliff said. “But I think it’s great that we can open. We are here to help the community thrive and, in turn, the community will help us drum up business.”

Hampton Inn and Suites representatives spent much of last week letting area businesses know it was open.

The Hampton Inn brand is part of the Hilton Hotel Corporation. Mississippi-based hospitality company Jackie’s International is responsible for bringing the hotel to the Thibodaux area. The site will be managed through Jackie’s Inter-national’s hotel division, Certified Hospitality.

“Our Certified Hospitality hotel division is one of our fastest growing divisions within the company,” Jackie’s International owner S.L. Sethi said in a release. “The company is looking to add six new hotels to its hotel division within the next three years.”

The new Hampton Inn and Suites is a five-floor steel and concrete facility that consists of 65 guestrooms, 44 suites, an outdoor pool, 24-hour business center, fitness center, 24-hour convenience store in the lobby, a meeting room that seats up to 50 people and a mixed-use lobby.

Prices range from $119 to $199 a night, and rooms are king- or double queen-size. At the higher end of the price scale, guests can choose from a king- or Jacuzzi king-size suite, Stancliff said.

The hotel has eight standard king-size rooms, 57 double queen-size rooms, 44 king suites and four Jacuzzi king suites.

Each room is equipped with a 32-inch LCD high-definition cable television, Cloud Nine beds, a chair and work desk, microwave, refrigerator, in-room coffee maker, iron, ironing board and hair dryer.

Guests can also enjoy a complimentary breakfast in the lobby dining area or they can take their breakfast to go.

So far, Stancliff said the number of guests at the hotel has been low, with a little under half of the 113 rooms having been filled since the hotel opened. But the slow start may be due in large part to the public being unaware that the site is open, he said.

“Every day gets better and better,” he said. “Our hotel representatives have been blitzing the area getting the word out about the hotel.”

The most recent booking report shows that the hotel could see its busiest days on Jan. 28 and 29, Stancliff said. He’s also optimistic that Hampton Inn can host Mardi Gras guests who visit the region in February.

Like many businesses in the Tri-parishes, the Hampton Inn and Suites has been met with staffing challenges too. Stancliff said the hotel currently employs 20 people, but as the months progress he expects the crew to increase to 30 to 35 people.

“Getting our staff trained and ready to go will be the only problem we face as a new company in Thibodaux,” he said. “We have been doing this for years, but we need to get our employees on the same page so this business can run like a well-oiled machine like it’s supposed to.”

Some may consider competition from quality hospitality brands like Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Inn and Days Inn – not to mention the newly opened Days Inn – to be a challenge. But Stancliff sees it differently. Each hotel chain has its own niche, he said.

“We all have different market shares in our community,” he explained. “That means that everyone will get a piece of the action because you have those guests who are looking for more services when they stay at a hotel. Then you have those guests who are just looking for lodging. Either way, the hotels in the area will get business.”

Thibodaux Chamber of Com-merce CEO Kathy Benoit agrees, noting the added rooms are long overdue.

“With the influx of people coming in for Nicholls State, Thibodaux Regional, John Deere and the Thibodaux Recreational Department events, having more hotel rooms available gives Thibodaux a step above where it was before,” she said.

Stancliff contends Jackie’s International is the hospitality company of the future with growth focused over the next five years on its hotel division.

“Mr. Sethi picked Thibodaux to premiere one of the newest hotel models because it lacked the lodging capabilities for a growing city,” he said.

In coming years, Stancliff said the Hampton Inn and Suites hopes to be among the area’s leaders in hospitality because the newest trend is to make guests feel more at home when they are away from home.

In his opinion, Hampton Inn and Suites has tapped into that comfort level to give guests the essential services and amenities they need to be self-sufficient and productive during their stay at the hotel.

Chamber president Benoit views Stancliff’s outlook much the same. “Hampton Inn has a wonderful reputation,” she said. “It will be a huge benefit locally because the management and the staff are pleased to be in Thibodaux where they can offer upscale services to the community.”

Hampton Inn and Suites’ 113-room hotel in Thibodaux includes king- (above) and queen-sized rooms, ranging in price from $119 to $199 nightly. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN