Construction underway on new Holiday Inn Express in Perryville

Weary travelers making their way on Interstate 55 soon will have another lodging option. A Holiday Inn Express is under construction in Perryville, Missouri, on the west side of the Interstate 55/Perryville exit.

The four-story construction will boast 75 rooms, including 18 suites, an indoor pool and a fitness room when it is finished, said Alex Patel, general manager for Midwest Lodging.

“It is a Holiday Inn Express Formula Blue design, which is a really new design in the market,” Patel said. “It really looks nice.”

Patel praised Perryville as a nice town, one he felt needed another lodging option, considering the number of travelers making long trips on the interstate.

Brent Buerck, Perryville city administrator, agreed the city could use more lodging — not only for travelers passing through, but to accommodate those visiting Perryville.

“We have a very strong industrial base,” Buerck said, and that base brings in many people from out of town, in addition to the traffic that comes from being along the interstate.

TG Missouri and Gilster-Mary Lee each employ more than 1,600 people, he said. Aviation company Sabreliner often has clients come in from out of town. Robinson Construction also often brings people into the area. The Bank of Missouri has a headquarters there.

“So we have lots of things driving the need, and several of those places were asking for a Holiday Inn by name,” Buerck said. “So it worked out good.”

Patel plans to hire 20 or more people to staff the Holiday Inn Express when it opens. He expects the majority to be local hires.

If all goes as planned, Patel said, the hotel will be done by August or September 2017. This would make it a potential lodging option for those visiting the region to see the highly anticipated full solar eclipse Aug. 21.

“We’ve been told repeatedly that we’re one of the best places in the world to see this thing,” Buerck said, adding lodging in the region is filling up quickly.

Between Perryville’s pre-existing hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, there are just under 200 beds available in the region, Buerck said. The new hotel will increase that capacity considerably.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

2020 Jefferson St., Perryville, Mo.