A company in the Mississippi Delta is the first to partner with the Trump organization to launch a new brand of hotels.
The Trump organization is bringing a new brand of hotels to the Delta, through a partnership with Chawla Hotels. The company is in the process of building a new facility in Cleveland, that will now be called SCION. The four-star hotel brand targets customers traveling to smaller communities, who want a more upscale experience with local flavor. The SCION in Cleveland, will have a spa, fitness and conference centers and two full-service restaurants. Chawla Hotels CEO Dinesh Chawla says it's a great opportunity for his company.
"To be able to transplant those resources in terms of operational skills, interior design service standards and bring it to the Mississippi Delta is going to knock some people's socks off I think," said Chawla.
Chawla says Trump Hotels will operate SCION and he will serve as the Chairman of the Board. Also, Chawla says three of their existing hotels in Clarksdale, Greenville and Cleveland, will be remodeled and they will operate them under a franchise agreement with Trump Hotels. Dinesh Chawla says the hotels will generate more jobs and boost the Delta's economy.
"We're going to employ about 100-something people. Those people will have money to re-circulate in the economy. People will come because it's going to be kind of a tourist attraction. It'll be a place you'll have to stop at when you're in the region," said Chawla.
The hotels will come online the beginning of next year. Chawla says his company initially learned about the opportunities to partner with the Trump organization after Governor Phil Bryant invited them to meet President Donald Trump at a campaign stop in Mississippi. He says 30 years ago, his father who was desperate for help called Trump for advice on financing his first hotel. Chawla says his father took the advice. Now they have 17 properties.
