Aug. 24–As they broke ground Tuesday on their second hotel in Glenwood, the local Patel family said it is planning a third development in the same area.

"It will be some kind of residence — hotel or apartments — with shops," said Komal "Tina" Patel, who, along with her husband, Alpesh "Al," owns several area hotels.

Work on the third project will start sometime in the next five years, she said, adding that they'll nail down more details for that project when the second hotel is completed.

On Tuesday, the Patels launched construction of the 81-room Fairfield Inn & Suites, west of their 87-room Candlewood Suites, which opened in 2014.

The four-story Marriott-branded hotel is expected to open in June 2017.

Patel said there is enough demand to support two hotels in Glenwood. They serve different segments of the market, "so there's no doubt in my mind we'll succeed," she said.

Candlewood Suites is an extended-stay hotel. The suites have full kitchens and are ideal for corporate clients or people needing temporary housing while their house is being remodeled or before they move into a new house, Patel said.

Fairfield Inn & Suites, which will have an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, will cater to overnight business or leisure travelers, she said.

Patel predicted guests will like the property's proximity to the Willamette River, the bike path and the University of Oregon campus.

The Patels say they are bullish on Glenwood.

"Nobody paid attention to Glenwood for a long time," Tina Patel said. "When Springfield took over Glenwood, Al and I thought (the area) had good potential for business and could improve."

Leaders of Springfield, which took jurisdiction of Glenwood from Eugene in 1999, long have sought to redevelop the area, making the river more visible and accessible to residents and tourists.

The Patel properties are the only hotels operating or planned for Glenwood, but another might join them if Glenwood is chosen as the site for a new conference center, said Andy Vobora, spokesman for Travel Lane County.

Conference centers typically include a headquarters hotel, he said.

A study of local conference space should wrap up this fall, and findings will be available before year's end, Vobora said.

Rather than viewing a hotel associated with a conference center as a business threat, Patel said she wants a conference center in Glenwood.

Travel Lane County has to turn away some big events because there isn't adequate space to host them, she said. A conference center would be able to accommodate them, bringing more business to all area hotels, Patel said.

So far, 2016 has been a great year nationally and a good one locally for the hospitality industry, Patel said.

The 10-day U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in July was a boost, but even without it, "I think we would have had a good year," Patel said. "There are a lot of other events."

The local lodging industry has enjoyed a strong summer, Vobora said, citing monthly industry reports that show strong occupancy and robust daily rates.

Besides the Candlewood Suites and the planned Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Patels own the University Inn & Suites hotel near Matthew Knight Arena on Franklin Boulevard in Eugene and the Comfort Suites on East 25th Avenue, just south of Glenwood.

The Patels employ about 45 people at their hotels and will hire about 25 employees at Fairfield Inn & Suites.

The Patels bought the 1.3-acre Candlewood Suites site for $390,000 in 2007, Lane County property records show.

A year later, the Springfield City Council approved buying three Glenwood parcels — two west of the Patels' property and one east — for $700,000. The purchase was to install a public stormwater and drainage system for Glenwood, city officials said.

In 2013, the city agreed to sell the two western parcels, totaling 1.2 acres, to the Patels for $160,000.

Then in December, the city sold the 1.5-acre easternmost parcel to the Patels for $600,000.

Follow Sherri on Twitter @sburimcdonald . Email [email protected] .

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