Candlewood Suites celebrates its grand opening
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
It’s a home away from home for out-of-town professionals on a business assignment, a weekend getaway for vacationing families, and a sanctuary for individuals who lost their house to a fire.
We’re referring to the all-new Candlewood Suites in Bensalem, which opened its doors in August and celebrated an official grand opening on Tuesday, Oct. 2.
“This is our opportunity to showcase the property to the surrounding area, to our community partners, our guests that are in house,” said Andrea Weismiller, vice president of sales with Joshi Hotel Group.
This is the first Candlewood location in Bensalem, which, according to Weismiller, was chosen for a variety of reasons in partnership with Intercontinental Hotel Group.
“With our group, we definitely take a look at the area. We take a look at what’s going on and what’s happening, and we identified that there was a need for an upper scale, extended-stay property. There’s a lot of companies, nationally-known companies like Verizon, that are in this area that do require a lodging partner,” she said. “We also took a look at Parx Casino that’s located nearby, Sesame Place. We factored in all of those things and that’s how we based our decision.”
The hotel offers a slew of features and amenities for extended-stay guests who are typically there for at least five nights, as well as short-term visitors. Candlewood staff is on hand 24 hours a day, and guests can take advantage of everything from an in-house gym to a business center.
“We have living room areas, we have fully equipped kitchens, free Wi-fi throughout the hotel,” said Weismiller.
Within the building, there are 72 rooms total, which include one-bedroom, double occupancy, and handicap-accessible suites. Some can accommodate up to six people in a single room. Candlewood is pet friendly with a designated pet walking area, and guests are able to bring their companions for a nominal fee.
“We’re very happy to be able to share our new home with our four-legged friends,” Weismiller said.
As far as the price range, one-night stays begin at approximately $125 per night depending on the weekend, though Weismiller explained a unique concept of the property — the longer someone stays, the better the deal. She stressed that there is no maximum amount of days guests are permitted to book a room.
“We’ve had guests stay with us in other locations for years, believe it or not,” she said. “They call our hotel their home.”
But when virtually anything needed to live day-to-day life is only an elevator ride away, it’s easy to see why. During the grand opening event, assistant general manager Jonchristopher Savage invited attendees to take part in a tour of the facilities and feel part of the “Candlewood family.”
In the main lobby, which still has that addicting scent of “newness,” Savage pointed out a stocked supply room where guests can pick up small items such as shampoo and razors. The tour continued with a stop inside the quaint gym, which features a handful of treadmills, bikes and weights.
While inside a spacious one-bedroom suite, he brought attendees’ attention to more of Candlewood’s amenities — complimentary washers and dryers, utensils and dishes, and the ability to rent out free George Foreman grills, games, CD players and VCRs. According to Savage, staff will work to ensure residents have everything they need to make their stay enjoyable.
“Anything that’s not right, I’ll make it right,” he said.
Savage shed light on Candlewood’s diverse population of residents, all of whom share vastly different stories as to why they’re staying at the hotel. But no matter someone’s reason, the staff’s goal remains the same — to make this new place feel like home. In Savage’s opinion, their Candlewood experience should be like the motto in The Lion King, “hakuna matata.” It means no worries.
On the tour, Savage showcased a handicap-accessible double bedroom, in which the countertop, desk and beds were constructed at a lower height. He also demonstrated the sound-proof walls of Candlewood by asking his group to take a moment of silence. Not one noise from the outside world could be heard.
Afterward, attendees enjoyed an elaborate spread by Cookala’s Italian Specialties, and a meet-and-greet with pets from Women’s Animal Center.
For more on Candlewood Suites, at 3908 Old Street Road, Bensalem, visit ihg.com/candlewood/hotels/us/en/reservation. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
