The city of Alabaster is making sure all of its visitors have a place to stay.

Alabaster Industrial Development Board director Cam Ward confirmed Monday that a developer has agreed to build a Holiday Inn Hotel on 3.5 acres of the land located behind the Colonial Promenade off Highway 31.

Ward said the $14.7 million project is a much-needed addition to a growing city.

&8220;This is a project we&8217;ve been working on for over seven months,&8221; Ward said. &8220;This is something we&8217;ve needed for a very long time.&8221;

The hotel, which will be considered &8220;full service,&8221; is planned to include 121 rooms, 3,000 square-feet of meeting space, a pool and fitness center and a national chain restaurant.

&8220;This is a new prototype of Holiday Inns,&8221; Ward said. &8220;It will be very upscale.&8221;

A $6 million Wingate Inn hotel is also being built near the Colonial Promenade, Ward said, with both hotels scheduled to open in the late 2007 or early 2008.

A number of large events in Alabaster and Pelham over the past few years have brought numerous overnight guests to the area &045; but Ward said many of those guests had to stay as far away as Hoover due to lack of space.

&8220;With the growing number of activities in our area, there is a growing demand for hotels,&8221; he said. &8220;This is something we had to do in order to have a well-balanced economy.&8221;

Early estimates on Alabaster city tax revenue from the two hotels are around $500,000 a year combined &045; with many dollars likely being spent in the surrounding community.

&8220;These hotels will have a real economic impact.&8221; Ward said. &8220;When you bring people here overnight, they&8217;re going to spend money.&8221;

Ward also confirmed that another large chain hotel is in the works for the area, but said the details were still being worked out on that development.

In addition to the hotels, Ward said a number of stand-alone chain restaurants would likely follow.

All three hotels will be located off a new four-lane boulevard that will eventually provide access to a Target and a number of smaller stores