Marriott’s Fairfield Inn & Suites coming to Angelo’s Grove
Marriott’s Fairfield Inn & Suites coming to Angelo’s Grove
Marion set to ecome hotel hub
news@theeveningtimes.com
For the second time this summer, plans for a new hotel were announced in Angelo’s Grove in Marion.
A new designs concept Fairfield Inn and Suites will be built on the southeast corner of Angelo’s Grove Boulevard and Hannah Lane. 108 more rooms will become available to tourists spending the night in Marion and will be the only Marriott between Memphis and Jonesboro.
This is the second investment in the Grove by local hotel owner Yogie Shah.
Impressed with the brisk business at his seven million dollar Hampton Inn by Hilton, Shah doubled down with the proto-type Fairfield Inn and Suites across the street. The next nearest hotel of this type is in North Little Rock.
Angelo’s Grove developer Kenny Farrell served as the master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking Wednesday afternoon and said the hotel business is booming in the subdivision. Another hotel on Hannah was announced earlier in the summer, a Best Western Plus which features rooms and extended stay corporate suites.
“This is being done by another local hotel owner, Mr. Patel, and all in all puts 300 rooms in Angelo’s Grove,” said Farrell. “It is good to have local investment.”
Farrell indicated landing a Marriott brand in Marion was quite a coup.
“Marriott does not normally go into cities this small, which is the news today,” said Farrell. “In addition to Yogie’s (Shah) extraordinary performance, this has really been a victory predicated on a lot teamwork by a lot of people. It is not typical for a town of 12,000 people to be the home of a Marriott Fairfield Inn. Because of the kind of excellent community Marion has become under the years of leadership of Frank Fogleman who generated such a place that despite the fraction of population they normally require, Marriott has selected.”
The Mayor extended thanks to Shah for bringing his second hotel property to town and pointed to the potential the develop proves.
“I am excited and happy for Mr. Shah,” said Fogleman, “and the city of Marion and the citizens of Marion. This is another business for you here, a testament to your skill and capabilities to land such a noteworthy new franchise here in town; for the city because landing this franchise is more evidence to other investors to the potential, possibilities, and viability in Marion.”
Farrell also commended Marion Economic Development Director Mike Demster hustle behind the scenes to even get Marriott to consider locating in a smaller town.
A Marion ordinance requires buildings no higher than the ladder truck can reach and Farrell appreciated Fire Chief Woody Wheeless carefully calculated consideration of an unprecedented five story hotel in the city.
For His part Wheeless took off his fire helmet and put on his Crittenden County Judge hat to congratulate Shah on his second hotel in Marion and spread thanks all around.
He talked about the impact on the county economy.
“This is a small part of the big picture,” said Wheeless. “This was farm land a decade ago and today we have a development here that is moving forward. Kenny Farrell and Dick Leike you had a vision that landed in Marion, Arkansas that could have landed somewhere else. We are grateful that it landed here in our county. We also see the growing fruit here with the hospital ground breaking next month. We are on the edge of a boom in our county.”
Farrell introduced State Senator Keith Ingram and acknowledged him as always helping put him in front to the right people. In turn Ingram lauded the behind the scenes work, saying the new hotel was no overnight development and compared it to the career of the late Charlie Rich.
“Charlie Rich’s roots and family are from around here,” said Ingram, “He worked hard, playing in clubs and joints for 25 years and then one day he had a song and became an overnight sensation.
Angelo’s Grove has been here twelve years and they have worked hard with the city for the this great hotel brand that means a lot to our area. Tourism is the second largest business in the State of Arkansas behind agriculture. It is great industry because it doesn’t drain your police force or fire department and it brings money form outside your community to inside your community.”
By John Rech
