LA GRANDE — A new Hampton Inn & Suites construction project in La Grande broke ground on the corner of Mulholland Drive and 26th Street on Monday, July 17.

As the newest expansion of Eternal Hotels LLC, the 93-room hotel will be located at 2006 26th St. and has a projected timeline of 18 months until its opening, according to Parn Singh, the company’s operations manager.

“We’re excited to get this project started,” Singh said. “This is officially the first day.”

Eternal Hotels has employed Fowler General Construction, Inc., a general contracting service out of Richland, Washington, to build the hotel.

Nicole Guerra, a Fowler project engineer, and Tyler Bumgarmer, an on-site construction worker, said they were excited to start the project.

Singh said that the hotel will most likely start hiring four to six months before opening, in hopes to “get training and people onboarded and ready to work.”

“We’re going to be employing at least 20, 25 people full time,” Singh said. “We’re going to have managerial positions, supervisor positions, maintenance positions, housekeeping and then our front desk hosts as well.”

Kam Sahota, chief executive officer and founder of Eternal Hotels, said the company decided to build a hotel in La Grande after identifying a need for one. Sahota is also the CEO and founder of One Stop Mart, a gas station and truck stop franchise that owns four gas stations in La Grande: the Island City Chevron, the Exxon and Gasco on Island Avenue and the Mobil on Adams Avenue.

According to the company’s website, Eternal Hotels, based in Pasco, Washington, is “a national hospitality company primarily engaged in the management and ownership of upscale, midscale and economy full service and select service hotels and restaurants.” The company’s portfolio includes franchised properties such as Red Lion Hotels and Best Western Hotels, “select unbranded properties,” and convenience stores and gas stations throughout Washington and Oregon.

Although Singh said there have been some supply chain issues with electrical supplies for the construction of the La Grande Hampton Inn, the company is optimistic that this won’t slow the process.

“Everything else, from what I’ve looked into, is supposed to be on time,” Singh said. “We’re just planning ahead and trying to secure the items that are supposed to be delayed before we need them, if possible.”

Singh expressed his enthusiasm for working with the city.

“We’re excited to partner with the city of La Grande too, excited to bring this opportunity to town and do a partnership together,” he said.