My Place Hotels opens in Jonesboro

My Place Hotels, a hospitality company based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, has opened its second franchise in Arkansas and it’s located in Jonesboro. The 63-unit hotel was officially opened on Wednesday (May 20).

Terry Kline, the vice president for franchise development told Talk Business & Politics that this project has actually been under development since 2018. But several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic slowed development due to shutdowns, supply chain disruptions and other factors. The Das family, which has numerous businesses in the Jonesboro area wanted to be a part of this franchise, he added.

“There’s always issues when developing projects like this. We always work through them,” he said.

My Place Hotels CEO Ryan Rivett said the company was formed in 2012 and it began selling franchises in 2014. There are 125 franchises in the chain and 85 of them have been completed. They are spread across 36 states.

“The people here (Jonesboro) are very friendly and easy to work with,” he said.

The four-story hotel is designed for short and long-term stays. Each room comes with a complete kitchenette and the company worked with Serta to design a specialty mattress for the chain.

“One of our main compliments that we get is about our mattresses,” Rivett said.

Rivett’s family has been in the hospitality business for more than 50 years. His grandfather was a part of the founding of the Super 8 hotel franchise.

The franchise opened their first one in Arkansas in Bentonville. Kline said talks are ongoing and there might be others in Arkansas in the future.