Greater Waco activity scores 300 hotel rooms

WACO – Hotel rooms have become a valuable commodity in Greater Waco, with Baylor University’s new 45,000-seat McLane Stadium a sellout waiting to happen, an expanded convention center attracting larger gatherings and downtown Waco enjoying a renaissance.

Help is on the way, as three extended-stay hotels that will add about 300 rooms to the local inventory have reached various stages of completion.

One, located in upscale Legends Crossing near SH-6 and I-35, should welcome guests by the halfway point of the 2015 football season. Two others will open by January and spring of 2016, respectively.

Valued at $10 million, the 93-room TownPlace Suites by Marriott is the closest to completion and becomes the third lodging property in the Crossing, joining Holiday Inn Express & Suites and Homewood Suites Hilton.

At South Valley Mills Dr. and the I-35 frontage Rd., Pride Construction has laid the groundwork for a four-story, 105-room Home2 Suites by Hilton, valued at $8 million. It likely will host an unveiling in spring of next year.

On the east side of I-35 at New Rd., wooden framing has gone up for a four-story, 99-room Candlewood Suites extended-stay property with a $6 million price tag.

All three new properties in development are extended-stay establishments, meaning guests often will stay longer than overnight.