BUTLER, Ala. – With Butler Fest coming in late October, Ron Mason, owner of The Mason Hotel, is hoping his new business will be a perfect stop for attendees.

    “We’re finishing up,” Mason said. “We are getting the prices on signage and landscaping, and once we get all of that completed we will be done.”

    Construction on the $400,000 project began in 2013. The hotel is located at the former site of the Butler Cafe.

    “We converted it over into a more modern facility,” Mason said.

    A task, he admits, that was quite an undertaking.

    “We took an old building that was uninhabitable and turned it into something that will be nice for the community,” Mason said.

    He said he also wanted to accommodate the area’s lodging needs.

    “There were people who wanted to stay one or two nights here and there,” he said. “There were times when people who needed to be here for funerals or other events, had to stay in Meridian or Thomasville; there just wasn’t a local place.”

    The Mason has nine rooms up for grabs for travelers who wish to stop in Butler, as well as large porches built across the face of the facility.

    Mason said the new rooms are comparable to other standard hotels.

    “Our rooms are comparable to those you would find in the Hilton Garden Inn,” he added.

    Eight of the nine rooms are furnished with a 10-foot minibar with a refrigerator, a microwave and granite counter tops. There is also one two-room suite with a full kitchen.

    While he has invested a lot into the business venture, Mason said the overall goal is to serve the community.

    “Hopefully one day we’ll make money on it, obviously that’s the goal of any business owner,” he said. “But honestly, we see this as a service for the area … We’re providing a need for the community; we are helping Butler grow.”