March 28–PONTIAC — Travelers on Interstate 55 and tourists visiting Pontiac could have another resting point just off the interstate next spring.

An 80-bed chain hotel will be built by next April on farmland west of Deerfield Road, City Administrator Bob Karls said.

Developer Hotel Development Services will pay $44,000 for four acres of land at the I-55 interchange. That land and the surrounding area, called the Pontiac Corporate Center, is currently owned by the city for development purposes.

“In the last few years tourism has really taken off,” said Karls of the need for the hotel, which will join a Best Western, Quality Inn and Super 8 already in the area.

He said “sign-in logs at the various museums” and “activity of the tourism office” showed a need for more rooms than the 200 currently available.

Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Inc., and Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) — which operates brands including Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn — are in talks with Hotel Development Services to occupy the hotel.

Karls said the developer will handle construction of the building, which is expected to begin in June. The Pontiac City Council approved the project March 16.

McLean, Va.-based Hilton owns, manages or franchises about 540 hotels; Marriott, based in Bethesda, Md., 4,000 properties; and IHG, a British company, 4,840 hotels, according to their websites. Each has locations in Bloomington-Normal.

Follow Derek Beigh on Twitter: @pg_beigh