The Oxford Suites Bellingham is holding a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The hotel, at 4051 Meridian St. next to Bellis Fair Mall, had its first guest on Aug. 14.

The grand opening event will go from 4-7 p.m. with appetizers, beverages, a drawing and hotel tours.

“We are looking forward to celebrating our grand opening with the Bellingham community,” said Robin Baney, COO of Oxford Corporate. “Bellingham is a beautiful city and we are very fortunate to have this opportunity.”

The new six-story, 99-room hotel has electric car charging stations, a bistro and dining area, Starbucks coffee, an indoor saltwater pool and spa, and several other environmentally-friendly features.

Instead of disposable plastic bottles, hotel room showers are stocked with bulk soap and shampoo in refillable dispensers. The hotel’s carpets meet the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label requirements for indoor air quality.

The Oxford Suites is the most recent of several new hotels to open in Bellingham in the last few years. General manager Daniel Stultz said the Oxford has done well so far thanks to the brand’s name recognition. Oxford Suites has 17 locations in the Northwest, he said.

“There has been a huge increase in hotels in Bellingham and I don’t think Bellingham will have trouble supporting it,” Stultz said.

Oxford Suites’ vice president of marketing Roz Stelk also cited a number 1 rating on TripAdvisor as evidence that the hotel is off to a good start despite a lot of competition.