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SpringHill Suites by Marriott has announced plans to build a new hotel in Oro Valley, catering to leisure, business and "lifestyle" travelers.

The two-story,100-suite hotel will be built at the Mercado del Rio center, a new retail, office and restaurant complex just west of North Oracle Road on the north side of Pusch View Lane.

The $10.5 million hotel, for which Marriott plans to break ground next summer, is scheduled to open the summer of 2008.

"It was always in the plan to attract a hotel there," said Paula Donley, project coordinator for Donley Commercial and co-owner of the hotel franchise. "There's big demand in Oro Valley, with lots of leisure and business travelers in town. Residents have also wanted an all-suite hotel for a long time."

The hotel fits in with the Mercado's mix of "office-condos," retail shops and restaurants, said Kit Donley, the other co-owner and a partner with Mercado del Rio LLC, which is developing the center.

Built on 17 acres, the Mercado center is being marketed to locally owned businesses, as opposed to national chains.

"We're trying to stay away from franchises and are looking for something with a little more service and more Tucson flavor," Kit Donley said.

Prices to buy vary by tenant and are similar to current market rent prices, said Kit Donley, adding that office space rents for about $195 a square foot and retail rent prices can range from $28 to $33 a square foot.

When completed, the center will have between 150,000 to 200,000 square feet of space, he said.

About one-third of that space is still available for purchase, Kit Donley said.

Arizona Car Care Center, Mercado del Rio Car Wash, Brake Masters and Imagen Salon and Day Spa are opening at the Mercado. Several local restaurant groups are also looking at the site as well, Paula Donley said.

With 150 Spring Hill hotels in the country, Marriott wants to reinvent the eight-year-old brand and cater to the "lifestyle traveler," said John Wolf, a spokesman for Marriott International.

"They are the enjoyment seekers, people who have free time built into a trip and take advantage of local amenities," he said. "For Tucson, that might mean going for a horseback ride, heading to a golf club or enjoying the outdoors."

Amenities at the proposed hotel include large suites, flat screen TVs, bathrooms with walk-in showers and granite counter tops, a business and technology center with meeting rooms and an exercise center with a lap pool.

InterMountain Management Co., a hospitality firm, will manage operations at the SpringHill, the first hotel to open in the Tucson region under that brand.

Marriott operates other properties in Tucson including the Courtyard, Fairfield Inn,Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and JW Marriott.