Petitioner for Huntley’s Hampton Inn hopes to open before the four-month extension period approved by trustees
HUNTLEY — At the June 9 Village Board Meeting, representatives for Woodstock Hotel, Inc., the petitioner managing the Hampton Inn project, came before trustees with a presentation as to why they needed an additional four-month extension period to open for business.
As previously reported in My Huntley News, Henry Patel, owner and president of Woodstock Hotel, Inc., wrote a letter to village staff stating that delays caused by “subcontractor and equipment provider supply chain issues,” due to the pandemic were once again the reasons for their request of an additional extension of time.
Some of the examples of delays listed included everything from having construction crew members being hit with the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, to still waiting for the arrival of some furniture, with some products not expected to be delivered until August of this year.
For the most part, trustees seemed sympathetic to the trouble Patel and his team had been facing in trying to open the hotel.
“$20 million invested in Huntley over decades, a couple of them at least. You’ve been an outstanding business owner in Huntley for this entire time. To look at you today and see the frustration you’re going through with trying to get contractors and materials and things like that, to deny you tonight (June 9), it doesn’t sound like a friendly village or country charm to me,” Trustee JR Westberg told Patel.
Trustee Mary Holzkopf questioned Patel further on the delays, stating that she wasn’t trying to scrutinize him. She explained that her motive for the questions was to ensure that constituents truly understood the situation and reasoning behind the extension.
“I think if there was no COVID if there’s a supply chain, we would build in 12-14 months no problem. That’s normal…I think we’re close right now. [We] have 14 or 13 people. We have our front desk people hired already,” Patel said.
As with the other members of the board, Trustee Niko Kanakaris also understood the hardships that Patel and his team have had to face and applauded him for his efforts.
“I’ve been on the board since 2007. We’ve always wanted a hotel. So, I’m glad someone took that charge and did it because nobody was knocking on our door trying to build a hotel. So, I appreciate that and I still can’t believe you built it during COVID, which is unbelievable and obviously, shortage of labor and building materials and all that stuff, people know and we all know and I know from being in the restaurant business, but I have no problem with the four months,” said Kanakaris. “But he downed it to 90 days, which is fine with me. He’s made a huge investment. I don’t think we should take anything away from the man.”
Trustee Harry Leopold was among the harshest critics of Patel, telling him that he was prepared to make a motion to impose penalties in response to the extension, however, he was moved by Patel’s “sob story,” which persuaded Leopold to not make that motion.
Leopold then questioned Patel on his extension timeframe due to a comment Patel made in which he stated that he anticipates the hotel being open well before the four months.
Patel told Leopold that he is requesting four months because he and his team are losing confidence in the arrival of certain products needed in the hotel and he doesn’t want to rush the process despite wanting to open for business.
Trustee Curt Kittle echoed what the majority of the board said, with his only other comment being that he wants to keep the extension to those four months because he didn’t want Patel to be back in front of the board asking for additional time.
“I have absolutely no problem with your extension. I feel sorry for you and I know it’s happening across our country or actually across the world because of the pandemic and I understand what you’re going through and I’m sorry you’re going through fines,” Trustee Ronda Goldman told Patel. “That must be really tough. I mean that’s on you. I don’t know how you’re going to recoup all that money, but we’re going to stand behind you once it opens. I can tell you that.”
Patel told trustees that all hotel properties starting construction in 2020 or 2021 are having difficulties because of pandemic-related factors.
Huntley’s Hampton Inn will be the first hotel to open within the next 30-40 days among all the hotels that started construction in 2020, according to Patel and his team.
While Leopold was reluctant to vote in favor of granting an additional extension period, all trustees did end up approving of the motion to give Woodstock Hotel, Inc. that four-month extension of time.
