Westside Construction Group reports that Indus Hospitality Group is developing a $15.1 million WoodSpring Suites hotel in Henrietta, New York, marking a significant investment in Rochester's hospitality infrastructure. The project, published November 24, 2025, by the Rochester Business Journal, represents more than just new lodging capacity—it establishes a critical bridge between construction education and real-world industry experience.
The new 48,661-square-foot WoodSpring Suites will feature 123 rooms and will be located at 1180 Jefferson Rd. in Henrietta, just off Interstate 390. The hotel's location is strategically positioned near two major educational institutions: Monroe Community College's Brighton campus (less than two miles away) and Rochester Institute of Technology's Henrietta campus (approximately four miles west on Jefferson Road).
WoodSpring Suites is an extended-stay brand under the Choice Hotels portfolio, designed to provide modern amenities and extended-stay convenience for business travelers and visitors to the Rochester region. The construction project is expected to address significant demand gaps in Rochester's visitor and tourism infrastructure.
Beyond the physical development, Indus Hospitality has prioritized partnerships with local colleges to strengthen hospitality education and industry preparation. Todd Plouffe, Chief Operating Officer for the Penfield-based firm, emphasized the company's commitment: "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."
The new WoodSpring Suites will create internship, employment, and shadowing opportunities for students in both Monroe Community College's Hospitality Management program and RIT's hospitality initiative. Plouffe, who also serves as an adjunct professor in MCC's Hospitality Management Department, underscored the company's strategy: "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."
The WoodSpring Suites represents the second location of this brand in the Rochester market, adding critical new inventory at a time when regional officials say the market lacks modern, well-appointed accommodations. Don Jefferies, President and CEO of Visit Rochester, provided written support to the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) for the project: "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 project complements Indus Hospitality's broader expansion strategy in the region. The company is simultaneously developing a new 89-room TownPlace Suites by Marriott off Lehigh Station Road near I-390 in Henrietta. Overall, Indus Hospitality's portfolio includes more than 80 hotels and restaurants across the Finger Lakes region.
This $15.1 million construction project represents significant opportunity for local contractors, general contractors, subcontractors, and construction vendors working in the Rochester hospitality development sector. The wood-framed construction methodology and scale of the project typically require coordination of multiple trade partnerships.
The project's economic benefits extend beyond construction: operating the new property will create permanent employment for hotel staff, management, and support personnel. Indus Hospitality's emphasis on internal training and advancement creates career pathways within the hospitality operations industry.
New hotel construction addresses a critical gap in Rochester's visitor economy. According to the project documentation, the shortage of modern lodging facilities limits the region's ability to attract conferences, conventions, and major sporting events. The COMIDA approval process—which granted the project just shy of $600,000 in sales tax and mortgage recording tax exemptions—reflects regional confidence in the project's economic benefits.
Rochester's visitor and tourism sector represents a substantial economic driver for the Finger Lakes region. New construction-grade hospitality facilities provide the infrastructure necessary to compete for high-value events and extend average visitor stays and spending.
The partnership model demonstrated by Indus Hospitality addresses a broader challenge in the construction and hospitality industries: workforce pipeline development. Paul Muenzer, Assistant Professor in MCC's Hospitality program, noted: "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."
Similarly, Edwin Torres, International Hospitality and Service Innovation Department Chair at RIT, highlighted the partnership value for students: "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."
The Indus Hospitality project reflects broader confidence in Rochester's continued development and visitor economy growth. Combined with other recent regional investments—including the Rochester City School District's $125 million modernization project—the WoodSpring Suites investment signals sustained confidence in the Rochester area's economic trajectory.
Source: Rochester Business Journal, "Indus expands Henrietta hotels and boosts MCC, RIT pathways," November 24, 2025. Author: Kevin Oklobzija.
TVA and Holtec each receive $400M in federal funding for small modular reactor projects, advancing next-generation nuclear power.
Rochester launches 13.5-acre brownfield remediation at former Vacuum Oil site, preparing contaminated industrial land for riverfront park and development.
SAA|EVI's $72.3M Gateway Apartments project will transform a historic Rochester building into 129 mixed-income apartments with commercial space.
.svg)
