Construction of new Huntley Hampton Inn delayed by supply, labor issues

The hotel is now on track to be open by the end of June

The Village of Huntley Plan Commission filed a positive recommendation in 2020 on a petition to build a four-story, 100-room Hampton Inn hotel in the Huntley Crossings corporate park.

It will be another six months before the new Hampton Inn on Route 47 in Huntley is ready to open due to labor and supply chain problems, the building’s owners said.

Henry Patel, president of Woodstock Hotel Inc. and the developer of the new hotel, was granted a six-month extension for construction of the Hampton Inn by the Huntley Village Board on Thursday. Patel originally planned to have the Hampton Inn opened by the end of 2021, but said that is no longer possible.

“The Hampton Inn hotel construction continues to move forward, but the construction timeline has been extended due to a number of factors with subcontractors and equipment providers,” Patel wrote in a letter to to the village. “Many of these companies are hampered by the COVID pandemic and related labor shortages and supply chain issues.”

Appearing before the Village Board, Patel said all parts of the project have been delayed. They’re still working to complete drywall, install internet, and purchase furniture, he said.

“Let’s pray and hope you’re open in the spring, at least by Easter, and we’re really proud you’re bringing this hotel to our town,” Trustee Ronda Goldman said.

Patel said he thinks he will be able to open the hotel before the end of the June.

A digital model of the recently approved Huntley Hampton Inn hotel shows the four-story, 100-room structure which will be surrounded by parking lots on all four sides. Construction is set to begin later this summer so that the building can be open by December 2021.

The four-story, 100-room hotel is being constructed at the intersection of Route 47 and Powers Road and was approved in July 2020 by the board.

The hotel will include an indoor pool, breakfast area, and meeting room, bringing the total cost of the village’s first major hotel to $11.5 million as of last summer, village Economic Development, Marketing and Recruitment Specialist Melissa Stocker said last year.

The hotel’s construction comes with some financial incentives for the business as well, Mayor Tim Hoeft said, including a $3 per night tax reimbursement over the next five years.

Hoeft and Trustee Curt Kittle said they want the remaining months of construction to be transparent because of the incentives Patel’s hotel can receive from the village when open. They suggested Patel provide the Village Board with monthly updates on the construction’s progress.