While my home is recovering from lightning damage, my insurance company put us up at Ironton’s new Marriott Towne Suites. This 109-suite hotel is great for visitors as well as locals such as myself.

I’ve been here over two weeks and it looks like I will have a few more to go.

It was strange at first to live in a hotel in my hometown — strange because my real home is only eight blocks away. It’s strange to see and hear a visitor’s view and perspective on Ironton. My eyes have been opened to a side of Ironton I have taken for granted.

Visitors from Texas, northern Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania and many other states have come and gone through these doors in the time I’ve been here.

Construction workers, Little League baseball teams, vacationers passing through, for whatever reason, these strangers to our town have one thing in common: They are all spending money in stores all around our community.

I’m talking big bucks, thousands of dollars every week are spent right here in Ironton because of one new hotel. I have witnessed dozens of people bringing in bags of food from Food Fair, groups of people walking back to their hotel from Big Boy and the Armory, Dollar General and downtown merchants and people getting haircuts. Money from strangers is being spent all over town.

Imagine how much more is spent from guests staying at Ironton’s first major hotel across the street at the Holiday Inn.

As a community, it is up to us to welcome these temporary strangers as they pass through our town.

Grasp this opportunity to enhance our economy. Create new dreams of our future and allow Ironton to grow. It’s amazing to witness the power of strangers in a small historic river town.

Greg Hudson
Ironton