The two-story lobby features a combination of recessed and hanging lights and rich-hued hardwood furniture. It is used as a dining area for the free hot breakfasts served in the mornings and as a community room in the afternoons and evenings.

A meeting room has space for 50 people and can also be used for special events, such as wedding anniversaries.

The hotel plan received conditional approval from the Town of Plattsburgh Planning Board in February 2008, and construction began a few months later.

It is Plattsburgh’s first five-story hotel, at a height of 62 feet. It required a height variance from the Town of Plattsburgh Zoning Board of Appeals because that’s 22 feet higher than the zoning ordinance allows.

“The planning and zoning people in the Town of Plattsburgh have been very helpful,” Mr. Akey said.

“They certainly looked after the welfare of the community, yet still allowed us to create some progress.”

Mr. Akey said they also received a lot of cooperation from John Kanoza and Jim Cayea of the Clinton County Health Department.

Hampton Inn and Suites is part of the 10-brand Hilton family of hotels. Hilton has more than 3,300 hotels in 80 countries and territories, with more than 130,000 employees.

E-mail Dan Heath at:

dheath@pressrepublican.com