New La Quinta Inn offers alternative

     By Scott Gulbransen
     View staff writer
      One year ago, the Northwest had no non-gaming hotels. Now, with the opening of the new La Quinta Inn and Suites, there are two non-gaming hotels and a third on the way.
      The La Quinta Inn, located in the Las Vegas Tech Center near Cheyenne Avenue and North Tenaya Way, joins the Hampton Inn, located just across a driveway from the new hotel, as the second business-related hotel to open in the burgeoning Northwest.
      "I know La Quinta Inns Inc. was excited at the idea of building a new property in this area," said Jerry Lord, general manager of the Northwest La Quinta Inn, who also held the same position at the Hampton Inn located just across the street. "With the Tech Center here and of course the heavy residential growth it was a good fit for us.
      "People come to Las Vegas for other reasons besides gaming and the things you find on the Strip or other areas. For the business traveler or the local resident looking for a place to put up family or friends, we offer a great alternative."
      La Quinta already operates two other Las Vegas locations on the Strip and near the Las Vegas Convention Center. This is the company's first venture into suburban Las Vegas. It is also the company's first inn and suites location to be built in the state of Nevada. The other Las Vegas La Quinta locations are just inns.
      "With the suites we offer the kitchen and other amenities some business travelers would want," Lord said. "We also considered that the University of Nevada School of Medicine will be built next door. We'll have various people spending weeks at a time with us and the suites make us more attractive to them."
      The hotel includes three types of rooms: standard, a king-sized room and the two-bedroom suite. The two-bedroom suite includes a microwave and a refrigerator.
      Bob Williams is a regional manager for La Quinta Inns. He said the opening of the Northwest location marks yet another commitment from the San Antonio, Texas, based hotel chain to Las Vegas. La Quinta Inns Inc. owns and operates 300 inns from coast to coast.
      "Everyone knows Las Vegas is a destination resort," Williams said. "But there are other growing markets there. That includes the business traveler and the growing need for non-gaming properties. We're excited about the new property and its location."
      Although La Quinta's neighbor is a Hampton Inn, Lord said there will be plenty of business to go around.
      "We do fight for the same business but with the growth in both business and residential areas here, this area alone can support a multitude of properties," Lord said.
      Lord sounds convincing but his La Quinta Inn and Suites and the Hampton Inn will also face competition from a new Courtyard by Marriott currently under construction on North Rainbow Boulevard near Lake Mead Boulevard. It's just another chapter in the head-spinning growth the area as seen in the past five years.
      "The continued addition of businesses in the area can only help the residents of the Northwest," said Ward 4 City Councilman Larry Brown. "One of the challenges facing the area is creating jobs so Northwest residents can work and live in the same area without having to drive into the city."
      The Northwest La Quinta Inn and Suites is scheduled to open in the next few weeks.