LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The walls are painted and some of the furniture is moved in as the date quickly approaches to open Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites.
It's the first hotel to come to New Albany in two decades. "We're excited by it and hope a lot of people use it," said Scott Blair who's the President for the New Albany City Council.
The developer, Lloyd Abdoo, says with the hotel's close proximity to the hospitals, he'll offer a 'substantial discount' to cancer patients and their families.
"He wanted to do that, it was a way for him to give back to the community, to get involved, also to help people in need," said Blair.
Over the phone, Abdoo told us that he plans to contact Baptist Health when the hotel gets closer to opening. We reached out to Baptist Health and Julie Garrison responded by saying while they haven't been contacted yet, "Illness is never expected nor something anyone is ready for, but with partnership programs like these in place, patients and families that have to travel for care or need extended stay options, can do so with considerable savings. Plus, room discounts make the total cost of care a little more affordable and more comfortable for those needing to stay away from home to ensure good health. Plus, each of these hotels is conveniently located within minutes of Baptist Health Floyd and its outpatient facilities."
The other two hotels in New Albany also give a discount to patients. "A lot of patients doing cancer treatment, they don't stay overnight at the hospital and yet they want comfortable places to stay, they want suite-type accommodations so their family will be with them and it's a more comfortable setting," said Blair.
This new development is the latest for the Summit Springs project. Their hope is to continue revitalizing the area.
"There's several lots next to the hotel, hopefully we have enough demand for this hotel that we can develop another hotel. There's a site for a restaurant and a couple sites for some office spaces," said Blair.
This is just the first step to a more vibrant New Albany. The hotel plans to have a soft opening in October and grand opening in November.
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