The Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Center has joined Arkansas State University’s campus, providing guests with full-service accommodations. Just one hour away from Memphis, Tennessee and two hours away from Little Rock, Arkansas, in addition to guest rooms, the hotel offers a 40,000-square-foot Red Wolf Convention Center and Houlihan’s restaurant, creating a comprehensive suite of hospitality options.
Tapped by the property’s development company, O’Reilly Hospitality Management, Dallas-based MatchLine Design Group worked collaboratively with BRP Architects to craft the design of the hotel’s public spaces, guest rooms, convention center ballroom, and restaurant.
“We enjoyed teaming up with O’Reilly Hospitality Management and BRP Architects once again to create another exciting project,” says Lesley H Wyman, Principal and Founder of MatchLine Design Group. “Our team took cues from ownership to create a casual vibe with warm tones, while ensuring everything has a relationship back to nature and the local surroundings. The biophilic elements are woven throughout the property with subtle detailing for a fresh take on the materials without coming across as too rustic. The result is an approachable but upscale ambiance that’s a welcome addition to the city.”
Upon entering the seven-story hotel, guests are fully immersed in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. A cool meets warm color palette is combined with honey-hued woods and bronzed metals, which mimic the diverse landscapes found throughout Arkansas. The lobby is outfitted with nature-inspired artwork, a green wall and fountain, abstract carpeting inspired by local lakes, along with wooden ceiling tiles and accent walls.
“This Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center is located along a major boulevard in Jonesboro, and is situated directly adjacent to Arkansas State University, so the project was developed with the concept that all exterior views of the project are frontal elevations and demand the same attention to detail,” says Gerri Kielhofner of BRP Architects. “Multiple colors and textures, both in horizontal and vertical directions, as well as multiple window sizes and shapes on the exterior façade of the hotel tower, provided an interesting panoply for the linear façade that evolved due to the site configuration. These same materials were then carried throughout the convention center elevations to provide an obvious connection between the two distinct functions.”
The hotel’s opening reception area features a gray accent wall with gold crackle and a lighting fixture that resembles modern tree branches. An open dining and bar lounge area is located past the reception and is similarly designed with a connection to nature. Designed to be the focal point of the hotel lobby, the bar features a dark metal front, industrial back bar shelving with gold and bronze metal mesh cabinet doors, and custom drop pendant lighting.
As for guest accommodations, the design team dressed the guest rooms and suite offerings in a rich palette of warm and cool hues with thoughtfully curated architectural details. Other amenities onsite include an indoor pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, a business center, and the meeting and event space at the Red Wolf Convention Center with a 15,00-square-foot grand ballroom.