Ssunny Shah has many friends and connections in the Roanoke Valley. It seemed like all of them were at the grand opening of his newly remodeled hotel at the Tuesday lunchtime ribbon cutting. The Baymont Inn and Suites is located just off I-81 at the Salem 141 exit.
The former Quality Inn needed an extreme makeover. “Everything is new,” said Shah. It is the largest hotel in Salem boasting 120 rooms. There is a large pool for adults and a kiddy pool for children. The meeting room holds 150 guests.
All rooms and suites have been completely redecorated. Hotel Manager Heather Speas picked the coordinating colors that received kudos from the guests as they toured. “I wanted a more modern look for it,” she said.
Shah took over the ailing hotel on May 6 and turned it around at breakneck speed. Speas said they were on a three-month deadline.
There was a soft opening last week. They filled up all the rooms for the 18th Annual Mountain Valley Cluster Dog Show and the ASA softball tourney held at the Salem Civic Center and stadium last week.
The huge front lawn is perfect for the dog show entrants. Not only is it ideal for pets to run; it also offers an area for visiting sports teams to practice. The Salem I-81 location is well suited for the overflow of visiting Virginia Tech fans.
Salem needed another good hotel to accommodate all the sports tournaments they host said Salem officials.
The hotel’s location though at the I-81 exit, is surprisingly quiet. It is surrounded by a forest of trees, mountain views, an expansive front lawn with nearby hiking trails including the one to Dragon’s Tooth on the Appalachian Trail.
Last but not least it is said that Elvis Presley stayed at the hotel. Sorry but the room he stayed in is not known or is kept secret. There have been “sightings” laughed Speas. Maybe even a faint “Elvis has left the building” can be heard in the midnight hour.
This makes Ssunny Shah’s 6th hotel in the Roanoke Valley. He also has the Ramada Inn and Conference Center on Franklin Road, the Howard-Johnson Inn Airport in Roanoke, Howard-Johnson in Daleville, the Howard-Johnson Inn in Salem, the Days Inn at the Roanoke Civic Center, and now Baymont Inn & Suites in Salem – a total of 730 rooms. All hotels are a member of the Wyndham Hotel Group and eligible for Wyndham rewards.
Shah also owns the Franklin Square Office Park behind the Ramada Inn and the nearby Pure Gas Station.
Shah was born in Bombay, India and settled in American in 1990. He has a bachelor’s degree in commerce and accounting. He first went to work for his sister. She owned some Comfort Inns in Virginia Beach. This led to his interest in the hotel business.
After 5 years Shah had the opportunity to buy his first hotel, the Ramada Inn in Roanoke. That’s when Heather Speas joined him as his manager. Now after almost 20 years he has 6 hotels.
Speakers at the grand opening praised Shah for his generosity. In addition to his business endeavors he is also known for his philanthropic work with many charities.
Guests included Senator John Edwards and representatives from Senator Tim Kaine’s office, Mark Warner’s office, Delegate Sam Rasoul’s office, Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s office, Salem City, Roanoke City and Roanoke County elected officials – Board of Supervisors members Joe “Butch” Church, Charlotte Moore, Joe McNamara and Al Bedrosian – Salem Mayor Foley, Salem City Manager Kevin Boggess and Salem Director of Parks & Recreation John Shanner, Roanoke City Manager Chris Morrill and Council member Bill Bestpitch.
Shanner said Ssunny would never let him down if he needed some last minute extra rooms during an influx of Salem sports events.
Senator Edwards and Senior Vice President of Baymont Inn & Suites Patrick Breen were the main speakers. Others took the opportunity to stress the importance of localities working together for the betterment of all.
– Valerie Garner
