Financing has been approved for Jonesboro to land a hotel and convention center. The City of Jonesboro announced in a press release the Keller Family of Effingham, Illinois, has secured funding of the multi-million dollar project, which would be located at the site of the former Arkansas Department of Human Services building on Highway 63. Plans are for a 152-room Hyatt Place Hotel and Conference Center to be constructed. Ground work could start in as little as 30 days. First Community Bank is reportedly financing the project. Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin says in a news release that he is excited to move the project to the next level.
“I am very excited to be able to make the announcement that this conference center is coming to Jonesboro,” Mayor Harold Perrin said. “We have had tremendous interest in the last several years from multiple entities, and I have worked with all of them in trying to secure a center for our city. As a growing community, we have been blessed with several recent hotel projects. In addition to the Hyatt Place project, Arkansas State University has been working on a full-service hotel property to be located on campus. I am confident that both of these projects will be a tremendous asset to our city.”
“This has been a long process, and I am happy to be moving this project to the next level. I am looking forward to working with Chuck (Keller) and his family in the monumental endeavor for the City of Jonesboro.”
Arkansas State University also had plans for placing a hotel and conference center at the site of the old track on campus. Arkansas State University System’s Vice President for Strategic Communications and Economic Development Jeff Hankins says "We continue to pursue a public-private partnership that will bring to the A-State campus a high caliber hotel and restaurant with appropriate meeting and conferencing space where we will also lodge our planned hospitality management program. Like many campuses, we have a tremendous need for this type of asset. When the city failed to close a deal on a conference center previously, we worked with city leadership to expand our own project to accommodate community needs. Now, this may not be necessary as we move forward." Arkansas State University is working with O’Reilly Hospitality Management to being a second hotel and conference center to Jonesboro, which could include an Embassy Suites hotel and a 40,000 to 50,000 square foot conference center.
