POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Chamber of Commerce and Hampton Inn will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and behind the scenes tour of the new hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 169 Market St., and will feature the ribbon cutting and photo shoot.

After more than 30 years of community leaders seeking a national chain hotel, Hampton Inn, is now open for guests to stay.

The three-story, 94-room hotel, opened Dec. 10 and boasts an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, small meeting room and a warm breakfast for guests from 6 to 10 a.m., according to General Manager Paul Kessler.

The building sits on a 3.44-acre site at 167 Market St., just south of McDonald’s.

The plan to build the hotel was announced in November 2012, and Andy Patel of Visions Hotels began buying up the lots needed, including property where Scoopuccinos, Ton’s Sports Bar, and Village Florist were previously located and arranging financing, which Patel said would total $6 million to $7 million.

With only a few locally owned motels and the higher-priced upscale Clarkson Inn in Potsdam to accommodate visitors, inviting people to come to Potsdam for major local events such as graduations, alumni weekends and sports tournaments was made more difficult by a lack of enough nearby lodging facilities.

There will be cocktails, food and a tour of the hotel.

RSVP with the chamber by Jan. 26 at 274-9000.