REDMOND — The developer of two hotels in Redmond and one in Bend is bullish on Central Oregon and plans to add more near the Pine Ridge Inn on SW Mount Bachelor Drive.

In all the Wealth Hospitality, which formerly was called Heritage Hospitality, will be responsible for building more hotel rooms over the next decade in Bend and Redmond, according to Chico Patel, company president. Earlier this month, the company opened a Home2 Suites near the St. Charles Bend hospital.

Central Oregon has seven to eight months a year of occupancies north of 80%, Patel said. Those are great rates for a developer especially in markets that cater to the outdoors and are projecting continued growth.

“We’re looking at a combination of leisure and business travelers at these properties,” Patel said. “The growth of Redmond has been exceptional.”

Normally a town the size of Redmond with a population of about 36,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau 2019 estimates, has nearly a dozen major branded hotels, Patel said. Today it has a Comfort Suites, a SCP Redmond Hotel and a Best Western Plus.

“Redmond continues to show strong growth and as the community and other economic drivers like the Redmond Airport and the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center continue to grow, the demand for overnight stays in Redmond will grow exponentially,” said Eric Sande, Redmond Chamber of Commerce executive director.

Patel’s firm was poised to open a 105-room Hampton Inn & Suites in Redmond in March, near the airport, but an electrical rooftop fire a year ago delayed the opening, Patel said. The company spent the past seven months negotiating with insurance people and investigators to make the repairs.

Water damage required the project be stripped back to its frame. The hotel will open next year sometime.

A second hotel in Redmond, a Holiday Inn Express, is awaiting financing, which has been difficult to obtain with COVID-19 related closures and restrictions, Patel said. That property, which is next to the Hampton Inn off U.S. Highway 97, will have 100 rooms.

“With the brands we’re investing in, we feel long term will be good,” Patel said. “The feasibility studies seem strong and that we’ll perform pretty well long term.

“Travel is bottlenecked. We feel pretty confident for 2022. These are the markets that people are thinking for outdoor vacations. COVID-19 is increasing travel to outdoor places like this.”

Construction has begun on the parking lot improvements at the Pine Ridge Inn in Bend. Sometime in 2024 construction will begin on 36 luxury condos, Patel said. Starting next year, Patel hopes to begin construction on a 115-room Hyatt property in the same area that will include retail space. Most likely in 2024, Patel’s firm will begin construction on a Marriott property in the same area.

Wealth Hospitality has built about 70 hotels from the ground up, said Patel. Right now there are about 36 projects underway.

“We’re looking at a combination of leisure and business travelers at these properties. The growth of Redmond has been exceptional.”

Chico Patel, Wealth Hospitality president