By Andrew Edwards

Staff Writer

Located just off I-65 in Millbrook, the Comfort Inn and Suites has stood ready to welcome traveling guests for the past 16 years.

Owned and operated by husband and wife, Manisha and Chuck Patel, the hotel opened in October of 2004 under the franchise “Country Inn and Suites”, but recently decided to make the huge business decision and swap to Comfort Inn and Suites.

“We weren’t really seeing a whole lot of business generated by that franchise,” said Co-Owner Manisha Patel. “It felt like we were missing a lot of opportunities in our area, so when we heard that the Comfort Inn brand would drive much more revenue, we had to act.”

The swapping of franchises has brought much more than just a name change to the hotel. It’s essentially ushered in a whole new hotel.

Currently, the Comfort Inn is in the process of completely renovating the entire building from top to bottom. Surprisingly, the changes have come quicker than you might believe.

“We started the process of getting everything set up about mid-way through 2019, but the actual renovations started this past September. We hope to have everything done within the next month or so,” Patel said.

So, what are some of the changes that will be coming to the Comfort Inn?

Other than a completely different, more modern look, the hotel will make drastic changes to its’ rooms such as new beds and bathrooms. Downstairs, the hotel is doing away with its’ indoor swimming pool to make room more a larger gym area as well as a business center. Currently, the Inn has finished renovations on the second and third floor and has moved its’ way to the lobby and outdoor portion of the project.

Since the hotel has swapped franchises, Patel says business has already seen a positive influx of customers.

“We’ve already had more, just with the name change, guests than we would have seen previously. It’s more familiar of a name, so I think that makes people more willing to try us out. We think it’s going to be great for the community,” Patel said. “At the end of the day, that’s our goal. We want to provide the best experience that we can for our customers.”

The renovations have caught the eyes of many people in the river region, one of which is Ann Harper, the Economic Development Director with the City of Millbrook.

“Branding plays a vital role in the success of any hotel. It brings in more customers and helps to generate repeat business, something that any company would want. We’re happy to work with them [Comfort Inn and Suites] and wish them the best moving forward. This is a good, solid franchise that we have now have in Millbrook,” Harper said.

Manisha and Chuck hope to use these renovations as a springboard toward making Comfort Inn and Suites the best destination to stay for travelers and community members alike.