$10 million hotel now open at the entrance to the Tri-Cities Airport

The Tri-Cities newest hotel opened this week just outside the entrance to the Tri-Cities Airport.

The Courtyard by Marriott Pasco features 99 rooms and other amenities that cater especially to business travelers.

The four-story hotel at 2101 W. Argent Road will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by A-1 Hospitality Group and managed by Columbia Hotel Management.

The company is a subsidiary of A-1 Hospitality Group of Kennewick which owns six hotels in Oregon and the Tri-Cities.

Led by Mita and Vijay Patel and their son, Taran, the company built hotels at the former TRAC center in Pasco and the first hotel at the convention center in Kennewick.

It’s biggest project yet is proposed near the Toyota Center in Kennewick.

That $85 million public-private partnership with the city could transform the Three Rivers complex with an upscale hotel and other amenities. The city would dramatically expand the convention center with new space, parking and a theater.

The Pasco project was the first of three new hotels under construction in Tri-Cities by other developers. They are in the Southridge area of Kennewick and near Columbia Center mall in Richland. Altogether they will add more than 300 rooms to the market.

Pasco Courtyard by Marriott

The Pasco hotel is across the street Columbia Basin College and close to the Sun Willows Golf Course.

The property includes an indoor swimming pool, outdoor patio with a fire pit and a fitness center.

“The latest room design offers hybrid zones for working, sleeping, relaxing and getting ready,” said a news release. “Indirect lighting and a neutral, tone-on-tone color palette provides an elevated and modernized look and feel during the full guest experience from booking to stay.”

Janis Milham, a senior vice president, said the company prides itself on listening to business travelers.

“Today’s technology has changed how people travel. Our guests want a room that has purpose and flexibility that enables a seamless transition between relaxing and working,” she said in the release.

Guests can store their bags on the “Luggage Drop” and plug their electronic devices into the “Tech Drop” ledge. And the “LoungeAround” sofa is for relaxing or working.

The rooms also have a desk on wheels so guests can work anywhere in the room.

“We are thrilled to bring the exceptional Courtyard brand to the Tri-Cities Airport. This corporate-centric hotel will provide much needed modern upscale lodging to the airport community,” Taran Patel said in the release.

The new hotel features the brand’s latest lobby design, with an open and modern environment outside of their rooms, said the company.

The Bistro in the center of the lobby offers a variety of classic American menu items with a “contemporary twist.” And it includes more flexible and informal seating for better socializing. In the evening, cocktails, beer and wine are available.

The business library includes computer terminals, along with a printer and separate computer stations dedicated solely to printing airline boarding passes and checking a flight status.

The hotel also has 1,100 square feet of meeting space for functions of up to 55 people.

Courtyard by Marriott has more than 1,200 locations in over 54 countries and territories.

This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 12:50 PM.