Tourism industry leaders in Beckley, West Virginia, say they're excited to welcome a Hilton-brand hotel to the community's lodging mix, a sign of continued tourism growth and stability.
The new hotel, part of the Tru by Hilton brand launched by Hilton Worldwide, arrives as the area is growing as a group travel destination, according to Lisa Strader, executive director of the Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"We have experienced an increased interest in our region for conferences and event information," Strader said of the announcement, made by the Raleigh County Commission.
"Being able to offer quality rooms for these groups is very important, as is having the supply of rooms needed to accommodate vacationers and those travelers who simply find Beckley via its location off I-77 and I-64."
No representative of the Hilton Worldwide organization has yet confirmed the report with West Virginia Explorer Magazine, and no statements regarding occupancy and amenities have yet been made.
The hotel is supposed to occupy a parcel outside the corporate limits of the City of Beckley but adjacent to its heavily trafficked Harper Road interchange on the West Virginia Turnpike around which nine other lodging properties and 16 restaurants are located.
Strader said the mid-scale market hotel is also a bellwether for sustainable travel-industry growth in the Beckley area.
"We welcome the increase in rooms and look forward to adding Tru by Hilton to our already impressive list of lodging options," she said, noting that the hotel may be the first of its brand in the state.
"This brand is new and opening up throughout the U.S., and we could not be more pleased that they have chosen Beckley as one of the firstโif not the firstโthat will open in West Virginia.
"From what we understand, this will be a very sleek and modern addition to affordable accommodations in our region."
Kevin Traube, who's developed a retail and recreation center at the exit, says there's value in seeing the Hilton name associated with the community and that more lodging options are needed, particularly in summer.
"In my thirty-some years in the tourism industry on Harper Road, I can confirm that we can fill as many rooms as we've got in the summertime, and we'd welcome more," he said.
Traube's climbing gym and 18-hole miniature golf course attract a continuous stream of travelers, but he says there's plenty more room for growth at the interstate exit, which is strategically located along north-south routes.
"We have the good fortune of being located next to the New River Gorge and the Summit Bechtel Reserve, but we're also a midway point for many travelers who rendezvous here," he said.
For more information on travel and tourism in Beckley and southern West Virginia, contact VisitWV.com.
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