LAYTON — The new Best Western Plus Layton Parkway Hotel is due to open in October. It will join other hotels in the “hospitality zone” that is situated near the Layton Hills Mall, Davis Conference Center, and the so-called “restaurant row.” “We are scheduled to open about the middle of October,” said owner Dixon Pitcher. The 84-room hotel’s exterior is reminiscent of a property you might find in Park City, with its stone finish and columned entryway. “We have some really nice amenities,” Pitcher said, including an “oversized” swimming pool and hot tub, full breakfast, and two “really good-sized meeting rooms” and banquet rooms. “We can accommodate two banquets at the same time,” the hotelier said. He also operates the Best Western Plus Canyon Pines at the mouth of Weber Canyon in Uintah. “Everything from veterans groups to certain social clubs want to be able to meet,” Pitcher said. For example, at his Uintah property, athletic teams often want a place to strategize and review their games. A “really nice” board room also will be available for employers, particularly those from out of town, who want a professional environment to conduct interviews, he said. “We also went with a bigger exercise room” than is typical in most hotels, Pitcher said. “It overlooks the swimming pool area.” Meanwhile, work is underway on the hospitality zone trail, as yet not formally named. Sod is being laid and other infrastructure ground work completed on the first phase, which includes a small park. It’s intended to eventually include marked walkways, special lighting, benches and other amenities. Barbara Riddle, Davis Area Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO, is enthusiastic about the new hotel’s pending opening. For more information check out the August 9 edition of Davis Clipper.