O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC received approval from Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT) to develop a hotel, convention center and restaurant on Arkansas State University-owned land in Jonesboro, Ark.
O’Reilly Hospitality would serve as the management company for the project developed by Jonesboro Hotel Partners LLC, a company owned by O’Reilly Hospitality CEO Tim O’Reilly, according to a news release.
Plans for the Embassy Suites Hotel & Red Wolf Convention Center include 202 rooms, a 40,000-square-foot convention center and a Houlihan's restaurant.
The plans also represent an academic opportunity for A-State students.
"With this top-of-the-line new facility and the O'Reilly Hospitality partnership, Arkansas State will implement a new academic program in hospitality management allowing us to recruit students interested in this growing professional field,” A-State Chancellor Tim Hudson said in the release. "It also will enhance our ability to utilize existing meeting spaces on campus.”
Following the Hilton approval, O’Reilly Hospitality and Jonesboro Hotel Partners reached an agreement with Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc. to immediately finalize architectural and engineering documents. The partners are negotiating for a general contractor on the project, which is scheduled to get started in the third quarter and wrap up in 15-16 months.
O'Reilly Hospitality in March announced its intention to move forward with the hotel development, a month after the A-State Board of Trustees approved a 50-year land lease with Jonesboro Hotel Partners, according to an A-State news release.
O’Reilly Hospitality filed the Embassy Suites franchise application in early 2015.
The company operates nine hotels, according to its website. It’s
also planning a new north-side Springfield hotel alongside a Macadoodles and Tropical Smoothie Cafe.