NATCHEZ &8212; Developers of a convention center hotel say they are working closely with preservation experts on the design of the new facility.

Although they originally planned a Hampton Inn and Suites, the developers are now talking with Carlson Companies about the possibility of opening a Country Inn and Suites on the North Canal Street site.

Developer Tom Bauer and hotel industry veteran Paul D. Buckley said the building footprint and the number of rooms and parking spaces &8212; 120 and 140, respectively

&8212;will be virtually the same as the Hampton Inn and Suites they had planned.

&8220;But the ambiance and the amenities (of this hotel) replicates that of Natchez,&8221; said Buckley, who worked for 38 years for Hilton and retired as its regional vice president.

Bauer said he and Buckley are working closely with the Historic Natchez Foundation to make sure the building meets the city&8217;s design guidelines.

&8220;We contacted them first thing&8221; when deciding to build the hotel in Natchez, Bauer said.

Bauer is expected to enter into an option agreement with the City of Natchez by Tuesday for a lot bounded by North Canal, Broadway, Franklin and Main streets.

Since aldermen voted in January to accept Bauer&8217;s proposal for a hotel &8212; then a Hampton &8212; across from the convention center, Dr. Shilesh Vora of El Dorado, Ark., successfully applied for a franchise for a Hampton Inn and Suites on South Canal Street.

And Vora made a request common to franchisees: that another Hampton franchise not be granted within a certain radius.

Bauer said he expects to break ground on the hotel in the third quarter of this year and open the hotel in the third quarter of 2007.

Bauer and Buckley said they think the tourism market in Natchez could grow enough for additional hotels to be built.

City officials have long said Natchez could attract much bigger conventions to town if more hotel rooms, including a hotel just across Canal from the convention center, were built.

Bauer and Buckley have said they&8217;ll bring in tourism consultants from the Canada-based Lord Co. to brainstorm with Natchezians what year-around attractions could be built here.

In addition, they noted that Carlson&8217;s subsidiaries include a network of 300,000 travel agents, giving them an opportunity to market Natchez and its attractions around the world.

When it comes to attracting tourists, Buckley said, &8220;you have an opportunity in Natchez to go far beyond places that don&8217;t have the depth of history you have here.&8221;

There&8217;s plenty of opportunity to grow not only the hotel sector but also the whole tourism industry in Natchez, and Bauer said he wants to be a part of it.

&8220;We want to become an integral part of the tourism sector,&8221; Bauer said.