KVC Development Inc., a Spokane company that owns three hotels here and nine overall, says it plans to develop next year a Courtyard by Marriott hotel at Liberty Lake.


The 90-room, four-story hotel will be located on Liberty Lake Road, just south of Interstate 90, says Clay Clausen, part-owner of KVC Development.


KVC has reached an agreement to buy the about two acres of land it needs for the project and has commissioned architectural and engineering firms to begin designing the new hotel, Clausen says. He declines to disclose the estimated cost of the hotel project.


The project is expected to get under way early next year, depending on the weather, and should take about six months to complete, he says.


The about 50,000-square-foot hotel will cater to business travelers and will include an indoor swimming pool, a meeting room, and an exercise room, Clausen says. It likely will employ 35 people.


KVC chose Liberty Lake for a new hotel because of the increasing number of businesses that are locating there, he says.


A restaurant pad will be constructed at the site, and Jim Quigley, of Spokane-based Kiemle & Hagood Co., is marketing the pad to potential users, he says.


KVC Development already owns two Holiday Inn Express hotels here at 801 N. Division, and at 9220 E. Mission, as well as a Quality Inn Valley Suites at 8923 E. Mission in the Valley. It currently owns a total of nine hotels in Washington, Arizona, and Utah.


Sterling Hospitality Management, a Spokane company thats affiliated with KVC and which operates KVCs various properties, will operate the new hotel under the Courtyard by Marriott brand, Clausen says.


The Courtyard by Marriott brand is owned by Marriott International Inc., of Washington, D.C. Clausen says the other Courtyard by Marriott here, at 401 N. Riverpoint Blvd., has a different owner. Marriott International has more than 2,000 hotels worldwide.