BURLINGTON, Vt. -
In just a few months, a new hotel is expected to open in Burlington.
Hotel Vermont will become one of the few major hotels located in the downtown.
From outside to inside, crews are working to make sure Hotel Vermont is ready to open in April in Burlington.
Hans Van-Wees is the hotel's general manager and took us on a tour Tuesday.
"The key thing it will offer is the experience of staying in an independent hotel," says Van-Wees.
Van-Wees says it's also about numbers. He says this is a $20-million investment and will create about 70 jobs when it opens.
Hotel Vermont will add 125 rooms to downtown Burlington. Rooms that are desperately needed.
"We are most of the time at capacity," says Sarah Beal, Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce Director of Communications.
Beal says there are 3,500 hotel rooms in Chittenden County. But only a fraction of them are downtown.
"More rooms ups our capacity for having larger events come to Burlington," says Beal.
And she says also more tourists. Beal says more people means more money being spent in Burlington.
While Hotel Vermont is not quite ready for guests, Van-Wees says reservations are already being booked.
"People have been waiting for a hotel like this," says Van-Wees.
Hotel Vermont is putting on a special ice bar event in February.
For information, CLICK HERE.
