Elliott Lodging completes remodels, rebrands of pair of hotels

Hospitality company Elliott Lodging Ltd. has completed remodel projects at two Springfield hotels and converted both to the Choice Hotels International franchise system, company officials have announced.

The Arbor Suites at the Mall, located at 1550 E. Raynell Place, has been fully renovated and reopened as a MainStay Suites hotel, while the Arbor Suites Medical Mile, 1260 E. Independence St., has been relaunched as The Bradford Hotel, an Ascend Hotel Collection property. Both are part of the Choice Hotels International brand and participate in its Choice Privileges rewards program, Elliott Lodging officials say.

Dale Replogle, CEO of Elliott Lodging, said the remodel of the former Arbor Suites at the Mall began in 2024 and continued through the summer of 2025 with a focus on the upgrading of guest rooms, enhancement of common areas and modernization of the property to meet the standards of the Choice Hotels extended-stay brand.

The Bradford Hotel update was completed in late spring to transform the hotel into a boutique-style destination with elevated design. The property is close to Springfield’s regional hospitals, CoxHealth South and Mercy Hospital Springfield.

“It’s a very convenient place to stay if you’re in town for a few days for a procedure or if you have business with one of the hospitals,” Replogle said.

Similarly, he said the MainStay Suites hotel, an extended-stay option located just south of Battlefield Road and east of Fremont Avenue, is a great place for traveling nurses with a full kitchen in every room.

Replogle said the remodels constituted a huge, multi-month project for Elliott Lodging. The company has some 22 hotels, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting, and Replogle said a lot of them are older properties purchased by the company’s founder and owner, Gordon Elliott.

“He fixed them up nicely when he bought them, but as time goes by, they can get worn out,” he said.

Replogle said it is a priority of Elliott to offer up-to-date properties – challenging, with changing tastes and trends. As an example, he said most new hotels no longer feature carpets, and that can create a noise problem, since carpets absorb a lot of sound.

Color trends also change, he said.

“We’ve used a lot of yellows, greens and blues, where we used to use maroons and dark greens,” he said.

LED lights and lighted vanity mirrors are also expected by hotel guests, he said.

Replogle said both properties have all-new furniture, flooring, landscaping and televisions, with updated surrounds on showers. The projects both included a lot of what Replogle called tear-out but did not change the architecture of the buildings, he said.

He declined to disclose the investment amount.

Owner Elliott said the two conversions represent the company’s commitment to continually investing in its hotels while bringing nationally recognized brands to the Springfield market.

“By joining Choice Hotels, we are able to enhance the guest experience, provide additional rewards and benefits to travelers and contribute to Springfield’s growing hospitality landscape,” Elliott said in a news release.