La Quinta opens hotel near Old Town Clovis

The new La Quinta by Wyndham hotel overlooks Clovis Avenue on a gloomy afternoon. DANIEL LEON/CLOVIS ROUNDUP

Clovis’ newest hotel is complete.

La Quinta by Wyndham, a three-story hotel with 79 rooms, is now up and running on Clovis Avenue just south of The Barnyard Shopping Center.

As the first of multiple incoming hotels, LQ is expected to help alleviate the city’s occupancy rate which runs close to 90 percent, 30 percent higher than what is considered a healthy rate.

Since opening in early May, general manager Jennifer Viscarra and her staff have enjoyed accommodating the first waves of guests.

“It’s been a great experience in being brand new,” said general manager Jennifer Viscarra. “Here on the property, we have a lot to offer. It’s great having the guests come in and see that it’s brand new, so it’s been exciting for all of us.”

As one of hundreds La Quinta hotels across North, Central, and South America, the Clovis location offers a mixture of executive suites, rooms with two beds (king and queen options available), as well as pet-friendly and handicap-accessible rooms.

For Viscarra, the prime location is one of the aspects she’s most excited about.

“We’re close to restaurants, and there’s a lot to offer for people that are coming in from out of town,” she said. “Plus, we’re a couple minutes from downtown Clovis and Sierra Vista Mall.”

A unique feature of the nearly 40,000-square-foot hotel is a parking garage available for guests below the building.

owner Peter Patel says it’s designed to shade guests’ vehicles from the Central Valley heat.

“When it’s 100-plus degrees outside, people like to park their cars in a cool area,” Patel said.

The facility also offers bus parking to make it convenient for traveling sports teams and other organizations.

A native of Woodlake, Daniel Leon is a recent graduate of Fresno State with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. Daniel served as Sports Editor at The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper, prior to joining the Roundup. Got a story idea? Email him at editor@clovisroundup.com