The 165-room property will be located on Veterans Memorial Highway, less than one quarter mile from Long Island MacArthur Airport. The hotel, which will be managed by Linchris Hotel Corp. of Hanover, MA, is expected to open in May 2003.

The hotel is expected to benefit from Southwest Airlines beefed up presence at MacArthur, which has created increased lodging demand throughout western Suffolk County. "The strong business environment and population base on Long Island are a consistent source of lodging demand for area hotels," says Fitzpatrick. "Substantial transient, social and group business ensures that local hotels perform as strongly on the weekend as during the week, which largely explains the ongoing strength of the Long Island hotel market."