Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 4/5/2018
CHICOPEE – The new Tru hotel will be the first in this market that is designed to appeal to Millennials, according to its general manager Nicole Banbury.
Banbury explained the hotel, which is expected to open soon, is designed for people who want “an experience, not just a stay.”
The new hotel is taking the place of the Day’s Inn, which Banbury said was “past its time.”
The rooms are smaller, she said and the hotel’s design has a greater emphasis on the lobby, which will serve as a gathering place for guests. There will be two foosball tables as well as quiet areas for people who simply want to sit and read.
The desk clerk’s area, which she said is normally tucked to the side of a lobby, is in the center of it so there can be greater interaction between the guests and the staff.
“It’s really exciting,” she said.
The smaller rooms do feature a 55” TV and Banbury said the designers have removed anything “that doesn’t matter.”
Part of the Hilton chain, Tru will have a price tag of about $100 a night which is less than some competing hotels in the city.
“It’s good for people on a budget,” she said.
There are only about a dozen Tru hotel locations in the country and this is the first for Massachusetts and the second for New England with the other Tru in Portland, NE.
She said the location on Memorial Avenue makes Tru convenient for travelers on both the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 91. She explained that many people look for hotels on the outskirts of their destination, whether they are attractions in Springfield or the nearby colleges.
The hotel is expected to employ 30 people in both full and part-time positions.