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Hilton wants young to feel at 'home' (Times Union, Albany, N.Y.)

By Tim O'Brien, Times Union, Albany, N.Y.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News

May 30--COLONIE -- A new hotel planned for the Wolf Road area will target younger guests looking for an extended stay.

The Home2 Suites by Hilton would be a four-story, 91-room hotel built at 10 Metro Park Road. It will cost $10 million to build, said Amanda O'Hearn-Dolan, director of development for Crosswinds Development of Latham, which would build and run the proposed hotel.

"It's a new concept by Hilton," she said. "There are only about 20 that have been built."

Another 75 are in varying stages of planning or development, she said, and the Colonie location could be the first in New York state.

"We're geared toward a younger professional," she said. "It has a distinct culture."

While anyone is welcome to stay, she said, the hotel will be geared toward people ages 32 to 50, especially the younger end of the spectrum.

With the arrival of GlobalFoundries and other technology businesses, she said, the developer believes the market is ready for the hotel. It will be pet friendly with the Crossings park nearby.

The breakfast buffet area will offer a long table where people can eat, talk or plug in their electronic devices.

The pool will be saltwater, there will be walking trails and galley-style kitchenettes. An outdoor patio will have gas grills for barbecues.

The laundry will be located in the gym so people can work out while doing their wash.

"It's geared toward an active lifestyle," O'Hearn-Dolan said.

Her family-owned development company also owns the Hampton Inn and Suites at Albany International Airport.

Joseph LaCivita, Colonie's director of planning and development, said the kitchenettes at less than 60 square feet are smaller than usual, but the Zoning Board of Appeals reviewed and approved a variance.

Crosswinds has given the town a sketch plan for the project but has not yet submitted details for Planning Board approval.

"The next step would be to apply for concept acceptance," he said.

O'Hearn-Dolan said the developer hopes to be before the Planning Board within a month. The aim is to break ground by year's end with an opening by January 2015.

The new hotel's location is a short distance from another planned extended-stay hotel, the Staybridge Suites, being built on the north end of the Macy's parking lot at Colonie Center. That seven-story hotel will have 115 rooms.

O'Hearn-Dolan said she is confident that the market can bear all the added hotel space.

"We've had the feasibility studies done. They have come out very strongly," she said. "We found there is enough business for all the hotels to sustain a high occupancy."

[email protected], 518-454-5092, @timobrientu

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(c)2013 Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)

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