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NILES — Travelers passing through or staying a while will now have a new hotel to choose from when booking their stays.

A new Hampton Inn is located at 1446 S. 11th St., with the signature blue sign, outlined in red and white inviting guests in. Whether they have been on the road traveling across the country, spending time at the lake or taking in events at one of the area’s universities, the owners hope that when events and travel start back up again, visitors will find their way in.

Upon entering the hotel, guests are greeted with a sign welcoming them to Michigan reading “Welcome to the Great Lakes State.” The modern feel and pops of color in the lobby’s adjoining lounge and dining area invite people to stay awhile.

The hotel houses 72 rooms, and offers many amenities to guests, including an indoor pool, a 24-hour fitness center, free WiFi throughout the building and a free hot breakfast.

Sam Patel, of Granger, and his business partners opened the new Hampton Inn on March 19.

Patel and his partners are constructing several other hotels around the northern Indiana and southwest Michigan area at the moment, and their newest open product sits in Niles.

Opening amidst Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” orders has meant that owners have postponed the hotel’s grand opening celebration, but they decided to commit to the staff that they had hired.

“Hilton gave us an option to postpone opening,” Patel said. “We hired the staff. We trained them, and we didn’t want to let them down.”

Patel said while reservations have not been bringing the originally projected business in this year, he knew that the hired workers depended on the job.

“When you stand behind your word and take care of your staff, the times are different they will take care of you,” Patel said.

Those factors are part of what drew the owner and his company’s investment to the area.

“We are very familiar with the Niles area,” owner Sam Patel said. “You’re so close to all of the South Bend business centers, with the University of Notre Dame, St. Mary’s College, the South Bend Airport, the 80/90 toll road, and then if you go north, there is Lake Michigan and I-94, along with all of the festivals in Niles.”

Patel and his partners are no strangers to the hospitality industry. With more than 30 years of experience, they are also the company that built the Holiday Inn Express just down the road in 2011. They have since sold it in 2017.