Hotel projects under way for Clark County, Wash.

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Aug. 28--Three hotel projects are poised to deliver more than 200 additional overnight guest rooms to Clark County next year.

But the developments -- which include two new hotels and one expansion -- could signal the end of a short building spurt for the local hospitality industry after a listless summer travel season. Some hoteliers are rethinking their development plans as loans for commercial projects get harder to come by, said Kim Bennett, president and chief executive officer of the Southwest Washington Visitors and Convention Bureau.

"If they haven't received the financing yet, you're probably not going to see those projects get built," she said.

In the meantime, the three new hotel projects under construction include:

--The Best Western in Washougal, a 78-room hotel in four levels overlooking the Columbia River at the Port of Camas-Washougal, just north of the Parker House restaurant.

--The Holiday Inn Express, a 90-room project near Westfield Vancouver mall on the corner of 41st Street and 72nd Avenue, next to the 117-room Staybridge Suites and three blocks away from the 140-room Heathman Lodge.

--A $6.5 million expansion to the Heathman Lodge that will add 40 guest rooms, a state-of-the-art banquet kitchen and a 4,000-square-foot ballroom to make it Clark County's second-largest hotel facility.

The Heathman addition was a direct response to business at the rustic-style venue, said Brett Wilkerson, hospitality president of Portland-based North Pacific Management, which operates the Heathman.