The oft-delayed Comfort Suites Kennewick at Southridge opened June 1 after years of development.

The 94-room value-oriented property is at 3703 Plaza Way in Kennewick.

The $6.5 million hotel is owned by Kennewick Hotel Operations Inc. and managed by Spokane-based Hospitality Associates Inc.

The project launched more than a decade ago under different ownership. The city of Kennewick approved building plans in 2009 but the project failed to launch amid the fallout of the Great Recession, which began in 2008 and chilled investment in all types of real estate.

The property changed owners several times until the current owners took over in 2016 and submitted fresh plans to the city for review in 2017.

It is neighbor to Southridge High School, Trios Southridge Medical Center, the Southridge Sports & Events Complex and Canyon Lakes Golf Course, as well as a long list of retailers, including Home Depot, Walmart and Walgreens.

Tonya Dundas, vice president of operations for Hospitality Associates, is managing the hotel.

“The hotel is premiering during a time when hospitality means respecting space while providing a caring and clean hotel. We know our guests will feel safe and comfortable while enjoying our upscaled features and Tri-Cities hospitality at its finest,” she said in a press release.

Comfort Suites, part of the Choice Hotels brand family, caters to value-oriented business and leisure travelers. Properties are smoke-free and offer free breakfast, fitness centers, pools and spas, in-room refrigerators, microwaves and desks.

The Choicehotels.com booking site quoted prices from $88 per night for a weekend stay.

Comfort Suites Kennewick at Southridge is one of three Tri-City newcomers whose openings coincided with the arrival of the new coronavirus and Washington’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order that brought the hospitality industry to a near standstill. At least five local hotels closed, if only temporarily.

Comfort Suites was supposed to open April 30, but Hospitality Associates pushed it back when the pandemic hit.

Pasco’s brand-new Courtyard by Marriott at the Tri-Cities Airport opened in late February, just weeks before the stay-home order took effect. Its Kennewick-based owner, A-1 Hospitality Group, timed the project to cater to the busy spring sports tournament business that didn’t materialize.

A-1 kept the hotel open during the pandemic.

The third newcomer is a 120-room extended stay WoodSpring Hotel, another Choice International Hotels brand. It is substantially complete at 1370 Tapteal Drive, Richland. It is just north of Columbia Center mall.

Bellevue-based West 77 developed the project. The opening date has not been announced, but the reservation system is accepting bookings starting in August. Prices start at $86 a night.