The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Rupen Patel was all smiles Oct. 26 as he mingled with guests at the grand opening party for his newest property, the Springhill Suites hotel on Cedar Grove Lane.
“It turned out beautiful,” said Patel, who also owns The Imperia on Easton Avenue and Fairfield Inn and Suites on Davidson Avenue. “I couldn’t be happier than this.”
The grand opening of the 100-room hotel was highlighted by a ribbon-cutting, a DJ and a variety of food from The Imperia.
The suites – they’re referred to as studio suites – are evenly split between those with one king- and two queen-sized beds, sitting rooms and other amenities, said Marian Homem, the hotel’s general manager.
The rooms are furnished with the chain’s West Elm line of furniture, she said.
“We are one of five Springhill Suites with this line,” Homem said.
The hotel also features a workout room and a salt-water indoor pool.
Homem said the decision to build the hotel next to the Imperia was made as a result of steady business at the Fairfield Inn.
“Somerset has a huge corporate presence,” she said. “On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, there is a desperate need for rooms.”
Plans are for a restaurant to be built on the property, in front of the hotel, turning the campus into one “event center,” she said.
The restaurant will be a Twenty/20 Taphouse, Patel said, similar to one he recently opened in Canton, Ohio.
The casual dining restaurant will cater to families, and will offer a sports bar, he said.
Patel said he hopes to have the restaurant open in about a year.
