Candlewood Suites set to open in Joplin

The $5 million project is an 80-suite, 43,000-square-foot hotel, located at 3212 S. Range Line Road. The contractor is Thomas Construction Co. of Osage Beach, and the architect is Slone Architects of Springfield.

The extended-stay suites are designed specifically for business travelers, said developer Gordon Elliott of Elliott Lodging. They include a complete kitchen, a recliner, an executive desk chair, two phone lines, a data port with free high-speed Internet connection and a flat-panel television.

“They’re designed to center around the workstation,” he said. “The TV is in the corner, and they’ve got a recliner that lets people work in the chair. It’s a business type of deal.”

Elliott said the hotel will not have a pool or continental breakfast, as those amenities are replaced by in-room extras tailored to business needs.

The hotel will employ 11. Nightly rates will range between $79 and $99, with discounts for longer stays.

Elliott said there also are plans to build a Springfield location of Candlewood Suites, with identical features to the Joplin hotel, at Glenstone Avenue and Interstate 44. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.