Morris Group rebrands Clarion as HoJo

The Clarion Hotel at 3333 S. Glenstone Ave. owned by Morris Group Properties Inc. on Dec. 30 was rebranded as the Howard Johnson Hotel and Conference Center.

Lance Watson, controller for the Morris Group, said the brand change was made in part because Morris Group officials felt Choice Hotels International, the holding company for Clarion, Comfort Inn and others, has flooded the Springfield market.

Another deciding factor, Watson said, was to distance the Morris Group from the Springfield hotel's previous owners.

Morris Group owned the Clarion property for seven years before selling to a California investor group in a December 2008 owner-financed $6 million deal. Jim D. Morris of the Morris Group regained control of the property in October, roughly two weeks before it was scheduled for foreclosure, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The investor group, doing business as Glenstone Enterprises LLC, was unable to make its payments and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2010.

"The previous owners didn't run it properly, and we're trying to get out from under their shadow," Watson said.

Cindy Ebbert, director of sales for the Springfield Howard Johnson, said temporary signage has been put up at the hotel, and permanent signage will likely be installed by mid-February. She noted that interior changes would likely be made down the road.

Watson said a renovation timeline has not been set, but he expects any décor changes to occur within 60 to 90 days following inspection by a Howard Johnson official. He declined to disclose costs associated with the branding change.

The 192-room Springfield hotel is attached to a 17,000-square-foot convention center and also has two on-site diners, the Newsroom Café and the Classic Sports Café.

Morris also owns two Branson hotels, a Quality Inn and a Ramada Inn and Suites.

Howard Johnson hotels fall under the umbrella of Wyndham Hotel Group, which also owns Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Planet Hollywood, Ramada Worldwide, Days Inn and Baymont Inn & Suites.

Howard Johnson operates more than 500 hotels in 14 countries, including a Branson property at 3027-A W. Highway 76, according to HoJo.com.