The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on the hotel industry in Butler.

The percentage of occupied rooms across the county had a similar drop as did hotels across the state.

But here in Butler, there has been a severe impact, and the final shakeout remains to be seen.

The newest hotels, including the Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn at Butler Commons, are struggling, but seem a little more aggressive about trying to boost occupancy. The downtown Springhill Suites may not be flourishing, but it is benefiting from local businesses loyally directing business their way, and the Comfort Inn on Armco Hill still nets a portion of the business from the oil and gas industry workers.

Not much we can say about the Super 8, other than it is sometimes mentioned in the police logs. The Days Inn Conference Center is open, but without the bar, restaurant and pool that existed before the pandemic.

The most interesting development is the Fairfield Inn being put up for auction/sale. With a starting bid of $1 million, it might be a bargain for a savvy entrepreneur who would do a better job of promoting it and of maximizing the benefit of its proximity to a local restaurant.

We were somewhat surprised to come to the realization that the Fairfield Inn is 25 years old. There have supposedly been renovations done in recent years, but for the same reason, the management has never gotten together with Rachel’s Roadhouse and helped each other build business.

As the only eating establishment within walking distance, it seems both natural and easily taken for granted. Rachel’s may do fine without the tie-in, but Fairfield certainly missed the boat on the idea.

While it is common that the chain hotels now provide a cookie-cutter breakfast, many travelers would much rather have the option of a breakfast with real food. Rachel’s doesn’t serve breakfast and may have zero interest in doing so, but if there was incentive to do so, maybe it could happen.

Fairfield also has an indoor pool. Insurance liability is always a factor, but maybe another way to build revenue and serve the community would be to open up the pool for swim classes or Red Cross training.

The bottom line is the Fairfield sits at a crossroads of surviving or dying, just as they are at major crossroads of Route 422 and Route 8 in Butler. Nothing looks worse than a vacant hotel in a community. We need to avoid that if possible.

Hopefully, someone will recognize this opportunity and step up to this challenge. Our tourism industry is active and always looking at new ways to build business. We hope it will work some magic on this one.

And please wear your mask.

— RV