by Neil Richard
Photos by Rebecca Gamble
David Zabelsky, General Manager at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, was kind enough to allow us a preview tour of the My Place Hotel that's being built next to the Goodwill store in Dahlgren. With crews working on both Christmas Day and New Years Day, the project is currently ahead of schedule and is expected to open in mid-April 2020.
As we toured the construction site, Zabelsky gave us the details on the hotel itself along with many behind-the-scenes aspects of hotel construction in general. Starting with the history of My Place Hotels, Zabelsky said the co-founder of the chain is also the co-founder of Super 8 Motels. My Place, which was founded about six years ago, has just over 50 locations. He said the Dahlgren location would be about location 60 to 65 by the time it opened and the only one in Virginia.
Modeled after Super 8, My Place Hotels offer guests a long term option for hotel rooms at a low rate. With very few amenities and a "no-frills" ideology, My Place is able to stay competitive. The lobby is small in an effort to keep people moving in and out. There are no conference rooms and there's no swimming pool. Zabelsky said that even though there is no fitness room, he hoped to work some sort of agreement out with the nearby Anytime Fitness.
The hotel will have 64 rooms when complete, with a mix of single King beds and double Queen beds. Each room has a cook-top, full size refrigerator, and microwave. There's also a sink but no dishwasher. Pots and pans will be provided as well. Some rooms on the first floor would be ADA compliant with doorbells and roll-in showers. Although none of the rooms will be suites, a few rooms will have a connecting door that could turn two rooms into something like a suite. There will be washers and dryers downstairs for customer use as well as a grilling area out back. Zabelsky said the rear of the hotel will be landscaped and open for pet walking. He said My Place would be the only pet friendly hotel in King George when opened and would be the third largest in the County.
Zabelsky didn't have a specific rate to share during the tour, saying that it was still being worked out. He said the goal was to be somewhere in the range of the Country Inn or Quality Inn. With a tiered rate structure, Zabelsky said the longer somebody stays, the cheaper the rate will be. He said the tier break down would be less than a week, a week to a month, and then more than a month. He said there was no plan to house low-income families and that the hotel would be marketed towards the 301 bridge construction crews and those working or going to school on base.
During the tour, it was interesting to see some of the logistics behind the process. Passing it several times a week, it was neat to watch crews quickly get the building in the dry. One day, while shopping at Goodwill, I noticed what looked like a septic tank being installed. It took a few days to realize that the hotel is connected to the Dahlgren sewer lines and what I saw was actually a holding tank for the fire suppression system. From the outside, the hotel looked unimpressive until they added the stone siding and paint. Although neither dull nor flashy, the color scheme of red and blue adds to the rustic and rural feel.
Inside, each room had a layout taped outside the doorway to note the placement of the bed, art work, and carpet. The brown carpet had an industrial vibe but the eye was drawn to the accent wall of blue behind the headboard. The bathrooms are standard issue as is the furniture. The kitchenette is really what sets the My Place apart from the other hotels, allowing travelers to save a little money by cooking their own food. Zabelsky noted that hotels are generally built from the top down, allowing workers to keep the dirt and dust from construction off the new flooring and furniture. With most of the crews hard at work on the second floor, we spent most of our time looking at rooms on the third floor. These rooms were also closer to being complete, with paint, cabinets, and carpet installed and ready to go. By comparison, the first floor rooms were mostly empty shells awaiting final paint and flooring.
We plan to give readers an update when the new My Place Hotel is scheduled to open.
Photos by Rebecca Gamble
David Zabelsky, General Manager at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, was kind enough to allow us a preview tour of the My Place Hotel that's being built next to the Goodwill store in Dahlgren. With crews working on both Christmas Day and New Years Day, the project is currently ahead of schedule and is expected to open in mid-April 2020.
 |
| David Zabelsky stands in front of the soon-to-open My Place Hotel. |
As we toured the construction site, Zabelsky gave us the details on the hotel itself along with many behind-the-scenes aspects of hotel construction in general. Starting with the history of My Place Hotels, Zabelsky said the co-founder of the chain is also the co-founder of Super 8 Motels. My Place, which was founded about six years ago, has just over 50 locations. He said the Dahlgren location would be about location 60 to 65 by the time it opened and the only one in Virginia.
Modeled after Super 8, My Place Hotels offer guests a long term option for hotel rooms at a low rate. With very few amenities and a "no-frills" ideology, My Place is able to stay competitive. The lobby is small in an effort to keep people moving in and out. There are no conference rooms and there's no swimming pool. Zabelsky said that even though there is no fitness room, he hoped to work some sort of agreement out with the nearby Anytime Fitness.
 |
| The front lobby is smaller than most hotels. |
The hotel will have 64 rooms when complete, with a mix of single King beds and double Queen beds. Each room has a cook-top, full size refrigerator, and microwave. There's also a sink but no dishwasher. Pots and pans will be provided as well. Some rooms on the first floor would be ADA compliant with doorbells and roll-in showers. Although none of the rooms will be suites, a few rooms will have a connecting door that could turn two rooms into something like a suite. There will be washers and dryers downstairs for customer use as well as a grilling area out back. Zabelsky said the rear of the hotel will be landscaped and open for pet walking. He said My Place would be the only pet friendly hotel in King George when opened and would be the third largest in the County.
 |
| You should always watch your step, and head, in an active construction zone. |
Zabelsky didn't have a specific rate to share during the tour, saying that it was still being worked out. He said the goal was to be somewhere in the range of the Country Inn or Quality Inn. With a tiered rate structure, Zabelsky said the longer somebody stays, the cheaper the rate will be. He said the tier break down would be less than a week, a week to a month, and then more than a month. He said there was no plan to house low-income families and that the hotel would be marketed towards the 301 bridge construction crews and those working or going to school on base.
 |
| Each room had a diagram for crews to reference. |
During the tour, it was interesting to see some of the logistics behind the process. Passing it several times a week, it was neat to watch crews quickly get the building in the dry. One day, while shopping at Goodwill, I noticed what looked like a septic tank being installed. It took a few days to realize that the hotel is connected to the Dahlgren sewer lines and what I saw was actually a holding tank for the fire suppression system. From the outside, the hotel looked unimpressive until they added the stone siding and paint. Although neither dull nor flashy, the color scheme of red and blue adds to the rustic and rural feel.
 |
| The view from upstairs. |
Inside, each room had a layout taped outside the doorway to note the placement of the bed, art work, and carpet. The brown carpet had an industrial vibe but the eye was drawn to the accent wall of blue behind the headboard. The bathrooms are standard issue as is the furniture. The kitchenette is really what sets the My Place apart from the other hotels, allowing travelers to save a little money by cooking their own food. Zabelsky noted that hotels are generally built from the top down, allowing workers to keep the dirt and dust from construction off the new flooring and furniture. With most of the crews hard at work on the second floor, we spent most of our time looking at rooms on the third floor. These rooms were also closer to being complete, with paint, cabinets, and carpet installed and ready to go. By comparison, the first floor rooms were mostly empty shells awaiting final paint and flooring.
 |
| The propane tank is temporary. The awning will house the grilling area. |
 |
| Once it dries out enough, this area behind the building will be landscaped. |
We plan to give readers an update when the new My Place Hotel is scheduled to open.
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