The hotel’s owners opened their doors to the media, public officials and community members last week as they celebrated the near completion of the new hotel and parking garage.

“I think we had to prove to the capital and financing folks that this is viable and they should invest,” said developer Kirk Sykes, one of the development’s owners. “The community and the mayor always believed in this.”

Indeed, the city’s Empowerment Zone board members, half of them appointed by Mayor Thomas Menino, voted to give the developers a critical $7 million loan.

With that money came requirements that the developers hire residents of the zone, which covers most of Boston’s lower-income neighborhoods.

The developers gladly complied. An estimated 180 zone residents worked on the construction of the development, and 92 percent of the permanent staff for the development will be people of color, according to developers.

Besides providing jobs, the owners say the hotel will provide other services to zone residents. Hampton Inn bills itself as a mid-range hotel, and would likely be more affordable than downtown hotels. It would also be more convenient for those visiting loved ones in Roxbury.

“Tell your brothers, sisters, aunts and cousins that they have got to come stay in this place,” urged Chip Greenidge, who heads Boston Connects, Inc., the organization that runs the Empowerment Zone.

The development, dubbed Crosstown Center, will also include approximately 22,000 square feet of retail space. Sykes said he and his co-owners expect clients by the end of the year. Potential clients include Dunkin Donuts, the Tin Alley family restaurant and sports bar, Quiznos, Popeye’s and Enterprise Rent a Car.

The garage will add 150 parking spaces, largely for hotel guests and commuters.

A second phase of the development, which the owners aim to proceed with if they can secure the funding, would add 200,000 square feet of offices and 50,000 square feet of retail.

“We have to help keep the door to opportunity open,” said Menino. “As you look at this area, watch how it changes over the next five years. But an important part of that is that it hires people in the community.”

Melnea Cass could be a hotspot of development in the near future, as developers reportedly have high hopes for building on the land now that the Roxbury Master Plan is in place.

The Master Plan creates a process by which Roxbury community members can influence future developments. Speakers at last week’s ribbon-cutting event said they saw Crosstown as an important piece in the revitalization of Roxbury.

“We expect to have a new gateway to Roxbury on a hill called Crosstown,” said Boston Redevelopment Authority Director Mark Maloney. “We expect to be down the street soon cutting another ribbon.”