New Hotel in Oil Country | Video

Eric Steltzer | 6/9/2011

More people are traveling to Williston, but they don`t always have a place to stay. At the same time, there are workers looking for a place to live. Hotels are mostly booked, and finding somewhere to crash can be difficult. Microtel Inn & Suites held its grand opening today, and managers say it will cater to extended stay workers as well as people just stopping by.

It was a big day for Microtel. It has 320 hotels worldwide, and that now includes one in Williston.

City leaders celebrated with a ribbon cutting, welcoming the new business to the city. Microtel`s vice president of development says so far he`s heard only positive feedback.

"Everybody is thrilled that we have a lot of rooms under contract. We have some transient rooms that we old back just for local travelers going through the area. We have been 100% full every-night" says John Braxton.

The hotel has 77 rooms, with 70% of them contracted to oil companies. Braxton says the other 30% is reserved for travelers. But hotel managers say they want to cater to everyone, not just big oil.

"They`re traveling, visiting friends, visiting people in the hospital, we try to accommodate everybody who comes in through here of all types not just one market or the other” says General Manager Serena Teevens.

So if boom goes to bust, where does Microtel see itself 5, 10 or even 20 years from now?

"We hope to continue with making it a comfortable place for everyone to enjoy staying at, and that with or without the oil industry, it will still be something that can grow and people can enjoy" says Teevens.

"We want to operate as if it`s brand new everyday, and we want to take good care of it. We`ll have good costumer service, and plan to be here for many years" says Braxton.

This is the second Microtel to open in oil country. One opened in Dickinson earlier this week.

The owners of Microtel are based in Montana. At the end of the ribbon cutting, they donated $500 dollars to Mercy Medical Center.

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