Henrietta, NY — Indus Hospitality Group is expanding its portfolio with a significant new $15.1 million construction project featuring a 123-room WoodSpring Suites located at 1180 Jefferson Road in Henrietta, just off Interstate 390. The project represents more than a hospitality investment—it's also an educational partnership that will create meaningful opportunities for Monroe Community College (MCC) and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) students pursuing hospitality careers.
The new hotel will be a 48,661-square-foot, wood-framed construction featuring 123 extended-stay rooms under the WoodSpring Suites brand, which operates under the Choice Hotels banner. According to the Rochester Business Journal's reporting on November 24, 2025, the strategic location in Henrietta offers proximity to both educational institutions and market demand for quality hotel inventory.
The location is particularly advantageous: Monroe Community College's Brighton campus is located less than two miles away on East Henrietta Road, and RIT's Henrietta campus is four miles west on Jefferson Road. This proximity enables the hotel to become an extended classroom for hospitality education programs at both institutions.
Henrietta currently has a vast inventory of hotels, but officials recognize that new, modern stock is essential to compete for conventions, conferences, and sporting events. In a letter of support to the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA), Don Jefferies, president and CEO of Visit Rochester, wrote: "Monroe County's current hotel inventory includes aging properties that underperform guest expectations. A modern, well-appointed hotel will help meet today's traveler standards and ensure our community remains competitive for key events and business travel."
The WoodSpring Suites concept aligns perfectly with this need. The extended-stay model serves business travelers, relocating professionals, and other guests requiring longer-term accommodations—a segment that has demonstrated consistent demand growth.
Indus Hospitality has made a strategic commitment to partner with local colleges to strengthen and elevate their hospitality programs. Todd Plouffe, chief operating officer for the Penfield-based firm, emphasizes the company's educational mission: "We believe strong communities are really built through strong partnerships, and over the past three years or so we've made it a priority here at Indus to partner with local colleges to really help strengthen and elevate their hospitality programs."
Plouffe, who also serves as an adjunct professor in MCC's Hospitality Management Department, articulates the company's approach: "Our goal is really simple: to show students the incredible range of opportunities that this industry has to offer, and help them build the skills and confidence that they need to succeed. We do that by working closely with their educators and their programs through internships and classroom collaborations. We really want to create pathways that connect students to meaningful careers right here in Rochester."
The new WoodSpring Suites will provide additional employment and co-op opportunities for hospitality students, expanding the practical learning environment beyond the classroom. Students from both MCC and RIT will have the opportunity to gain real-world experience in hotel operations, management, human resources, marketing, and other hospitality functions.
Paul Muenzer, assistant professor in MCC's Hospitality program, underscores the value of real-world partnerships: "Students start to realize that here locally, there's more opportunities than they think of. Sometimes they just need to have their world expanded. Having a partner with multiple locations and properties they can talk about and expose them to really gets the students thinking that there's a bigger world that they can explore."
At RIT, the relatively new hospitality program in the International Hospitality and Service Innovation Department is expected to grow significantly through this partnership. Edwin Torres, Department Chair, noted: "In hospitality there are so many different avenues; there are hotels, private clubs, event planning, there's people that go into the cruise industry or the theme park industry. So I think it's really valuable for our students to get a little bit of exposure to different things and see whether they see themselves in that industry, and see the application of what they learned in the classroom put together in the workplace."
Indus Hospitality recognizes that many students don't fully understand the breadth of career opportunities within hospitality. Plouffe explains: "They may not realize how upwardly mobile hospitality careers are. We're many business under one roof, from operations to management to human resources to marketing to technology and finance. There are lots of different opportunities. We try to expose students to those opportunities and get them excited about it."
The new WoodSpring Suites in Henrietta will serve as a tangible example of this diversity, with positions ranging from housekeeping and front desk operations to food service, facilities management, revenue management, and administrative roles.
The project received support from Monroe County's industrial development infrastructure. Indus requested approximately $600,000 in sales tax and mortgage recording tax exemptions, which was approved by COMIDA. These incentives reflect the county's recognition of the project's economic significance and alignment with regional development goals.
Indus Hospitality's portfolio now includes more than 80 hotels and restaurants across the Finger Lakes region. The company is concurrently developing other projects, including a new 89-room TownPlace Suites by Marriott off Lehigh Station Road near I-390 in Henrietta, demonstrating sustained investment in the Rochester area hospitality market.
This $15.1 million project represents the convergence of several positive trends in the Rochester region: hospitality sector growth, educational institution partnerships, workforce development investment, and construction activity. For contractors, this project provides meaningful work while participating in workforce development. For hospitality professionals, it signals continued investment in the region and career advancement opportunities.
The strategic emphasis on educational partnerships distinguishes this project as more than a typical hospitality development—it's an investment in the region's workforce pipeline and economic future.
Source: Rochester Business Journal, "Indus expands Henrietta hotels and boosts MCC, RIT pathways," published November 24, 2025, by Kevin Oklobzija. Project information verified from official project specifications and Choice Hotels brand details.
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