Andrew Desai gathered a group of investors to build and open a Comfort Inn in Forest, Mississippi.
Andrew acquired the first independent hotel in Malvern, Arkansas and reopened it as a Budget Inn.
Andy came over from India in 1998 and joined his brother in Malvern, Arkansas. Together the brothers opened their second hotel as a Days Inn near the Little Rock Airport.
With addition of Andy’s wife Sima Vallabh and Andrew’s wife Cookie Desai, the business started growing rapidly with the aquisition of two more properties: the Comfort Inn Jacksonville, AR and Comfort Inn, North Little Rock, AR.
SPAN adds another brand to the portfolio with the purchase of a Best Western Inn in Jacksonville, AR.
The group developed the Country Inn & Suites in Conway, the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Bryant, and the Best Western Plus JFK Inn & Suites in North Little Rock, AR.
The group acquired the Best Western Plus Searcy Inn & Suites in Searcy, AR and Super 8 Otter Creek in Little Rock AR. The group also entered the mid upper scale brand by building Holiday Inn Express in Forrest City, AR.
SPAN continued to expand in Central Arkansas with the acquisition of the Comfort Inn and Suites at McCain in North Little Rock and acquiring two more properties in the Conway Market: Candlewood Suites and Comfort Inn and Suites.
To standardize operations and streamline processes, the group established SPAN Hospitality and invested heavily in technology like ADP/Quore/M3 accounting systems to optimize revenue. At the same time, SPAN entered into the construction and development by introducing the SPAN Construction and Development company in Little Rock AR.
SPAN Construction and Development began Construction of Home2 Suites by Hilton in Bryant, Arkansas with projected compeltion and opening in May 2021. At present SPAN Hospitality is managing 12 properties with all major flags across Arkansas.