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NEW NAME FOR HOTEL

By AmyJo Brown/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, October 27, 2007 12:27 AM CDT

The Royal Arkansas Hotel & Suites will soon be renamed the Ramada Plaza, said manager Ben Buchanan.

Buchanan said owner Bruce Rahmani of Arkansas Lodging LLC recently signed a franchise agreement with the national Wyndham Worldwide hotel chain to transform the Royal Arkansas into a Ramada property — the second time the hotel will have gone by that name.

The hotel, which is attached to the Pine Bluff Convention Center, is about one-fourth through renovations to the exterior of the building and the lobby that are meant to update its look, Buchanan said.

He said he did not know any of the details of the franchise agreement, including when exactly it was signed.

“To be honest with you, it is so recent I don’t even have the dates they’ll be putting the signage up,” he said.

The five-story 200-room hotel has gone through six owners since it was built in 1989 as a Wilson World Hotel. It operated as a Ramada franchise in 2001 and 2002, said Bob Purvis, executive director of the Convention Center.

Ramada Plazas are the third tier of Ramada properties, above the mid-priced Ramada Hotel and value-priced Ramada Limited. They are described as being “premier properties designed for discerning travelers with a contemporary decor,” according to information provided by Ramada spokeswoman Christine DaSilva.

DaSilva said she could not find a record of the signed franchise agreement with Rahmani.

A working telephone number for Rahmani, who lives in Colorado, could not immediately be located. Buchanan declined to provide a way to contact Rahmani.

Rahmani purchased the Royal Arkansas Hotel and Suites in August out of receivership from Zions First National Bank of Utah, which foreclosed on the hotel’s previous owners.

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