Travelodge site in Newport slated to become Hampton Inn

NEWPORT – The extension of the Ky. 9 into Newport already looks like it's bringing improvements to Newport and Northern Kentucky's riverfront.

The Travelodge at the approach of the Taylor-Southgate Bridge in Newport will likely become a Hampton Inn and Suites, according to a foundation permit filed with the city of Newport by JDL Warm Construction in Cincinnati.

The hotel will replace the Travelodge, a hotel that garnered a reputation several years ago for frequent police runs.

Drawings submitted to the city for the Hampton Inn show it will be a six-story, 119-room hotel. Calls to JDL Warm were not returned to determine further details and opening dates.

It will be right next to a roundabout the state has planned for the area as part of the Ky. 9/AA Highway extension that will go through the adjacent Ovation site and along the city's western edge.

City officials saw the hotel as a major upgrade for the city's front door.

"That's one of the main faces of the city when you come across the bridge," said City Manager Tom Fromme. "One of the first buildings you see when you come across the Taylor-Southgate Bridge is the Travelodge. To have a new, better and different name will be a big benefit."

The Travelodge hasn't drained police resources in the past three years after a concerted effort by Newport Police to crack down on prostitution and drug dealing in 2012, said Police Chief Tom Collins. A year's worth of undercover stings at the Travelodge put an end to drug dealers and prostitutes using that hotel, Collins said. The $200,000 in seized drug and prostitution money from the operation allowed the Newport Police Department to buy six Dodge Chargers, Collins said.

"It worked out real well for us," Collins said. "We've had very few complaints since then. You had some prostitution issues, drug issues, some drug events, some intoxication issues. The management worked will well with us."

A person who answered the phone at the Travelodge wouldn't comment on the impending change to Hampton Inn or prior problems.

Collins said while the Travelodge doesn't pose a problem anymore, the change to a Hampton Inn will still be positive.

"It's going to attract a better caliber of visitor," Collins said. "People coming to the Greater Cincinnati Area will be more comfortable with that. It's more of an upscale place than Travelodge. I think overall it's a win-win for everyone."