Paralympic gold medalist and Lancaster native Adam Page has traveled around the world as a member of Team USA's sled hockey team. But, many of the hotels he's stayed at haven't always been so accommodating.

"There's different challenges, where maybe the doorways aren't large enough to fit a wheelchair in the rooms, from the showers not being big enough to roll right in the showers, to having a seat to sit on," Page said.

Now a one-of-a-kind hotel is in the works in the Town of Amherst. Officials broke ground on a new universal access Hampton Inn next to the Northtown Center and Audubon Recreation Complex.

"Part of what's such a big deal about this and why this is so important is it's gonna be the first universally designed hotel in the world,” said Amherst Town Councilor Jacqualine Berger. “They're making the hotel accessible to people in wheelchairs, but not just to people who have mobility challenges but people who might be deaf, or blind, or have other challenges, but at the same time be family friendly. They'll be designed it so teams have larger meeting rooms and things like that.”

With its proximity to the rinks at Northtown, town officials are hoping to attract more tournaments and tourists to the region.

"There's a heavy demand for hotels here in Amherst, this area. For us in brings travelers into Amherst, it brings economic buying power in to Amherst. In this case specifically, it gives us the opportunity to have tournaments like US Sled Hockey come, stay on site, and utilize the Northtown Center,” said Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa (D).

The $11 million Uniland project features 105 rooms and is expected to create about 125 jobs during its construction. Once open, the hotel is expected to create close to two dozen full-time jobs.

The project is scheduled to be completed in spring 2020.