VIDALIA — After delays due to weather, the Vidalia Riverfront TownePlace Suites is projected to be complete by late January or Early February.

Construction on the 87-room, extended stay hotel began in January and the original goal for completion was October, said Heather Malone, the Concordia Parish Economic Development director. The hotel is expected to cost approximately $7 million, and Malone said she did not anticipate the delays would lead to an increase in investment.

“Unforeseen delays in construction has caused the owners to extend the timeline to completion, but they are pushing hard to complete this project without compromising the integrity of construction,” Malone said. “The contractors have completed the main roof and they are working inside on the mechanical, electric and plumbing now.”

Malone said the hotel group would look to start making hires by late November or early December.

Malone said the hotel group looks to hire between 20-30 employees.

Last year the company, formally known as Desai Hotel Group, changed its name to Vidalia Hotel Group.

The group also has plans to build a Hilton Garden Inn on the riverfront if business at the TownSuites is successful.

The prospective Garden Inn is projected to be a 120-room, full service hotel. Both hotels together would cost approximately $22.5 million.

Desai already owns the Holiday Inn Express in Natchez and has leased 3.7 acres on the Vidalia Riverfront since July 2014. The lease agreement calls for annual payments of $33,000 an acre for five years and the right to use the land for 99 years.