My Place Hotel executives welcomed in Marion to celebrate hotel's grand opening Wednesday

My Place Hotels officials stressed they are working to "make My Place your place" in Marion at the grand opening ceremony of its first Ohio hotel on McMahan Blvd. Wednesday.

For the Aberdeen, South Dakota-based hotel company to open its first Ohio hotel in the community, many are asking, "Why Marion?"

The warm Wednesday afternoon gathered local business leaders and executives from My Place at the new hotel for a tour of the new rooms and a ribbon cutting ceremony held by the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce.

Though My Place, a company working to provide all the amenities of home to guests whether they're staying two days or two months, opened its doors in October 2020 to its Marion location, the grand opening celebration was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the My Place team wanted to hold the in-person event to get to connect with the community.

One such distinguished visitor, President and CEO of My Place Hotels, Ryan Rivett, addressed the question of, "why Marion?" for its first Ohio hotel location, explaining he was first tipped off to Marion's market potential through someone he did business with in the past who is based in Piqua.

"The gentleman called me one day and said, 'Hey you gotta look at Marion, Ohio,' and I said, 'Where's that?'" he joked to the crowd.

He said his team then researched the market and saw the opportunity in Marion, given the community's stable population and different dynamics at work throughout the area.

A dog-friendly brand, My Place also invited the Marion Area Humane Society to the grand opening event, donating a basket of toys and treats to the shelter which was received by Adoption Coordinator Riley Bails and a 5-year-old Pit Bull, Shepherd mix named Blaze.

President of the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce Matt Carbary welcomed the crowd and visitors from the My Place team to the ribbon cutting ceremony, making a special note to the canine guest.

"On behalf of the board and staff and our amazing ambassadors, we want to welcome everyone that's here, both human and nonhuman, to this great and long-time-coming grand opening celebration in Marion and Ohio's first My Place hotel," he said.

The opening of the hotel marks economic growth and expansion in Marion as well as the ability for the Marion Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (MACVB) to expand its marketing of the community through its budget which operates through the bed tax from local hotels, explained the executive director of the MACVB, Bev Ford, who also brought her dog, Rocky, as her special guest.

"The more we can talk about the community, the more people that will come, so it's kind of a cyclical thing," Ford said.

For the grand opening event, My Place brought refreshments and cake for the guests as well as a "passport tour" of the hotel where attendees were eligible for prizes for their participation.

The event was coordinated by the My Place vice president of marketing, Amber Schwab, who made sure to provide branded water bowls to the dogs in attendance.

"To see the hotel open and now be able to celebrate it with the community is the biggest sense of achievement," she said.

For more information on My Place Hotels, visit the company's website.

Blaze from the Marion Area Humane Society is available for adoption. Bails noted he does well with children and other dogs but doesn't like cats.

Story by: Sophia Veneziano (740) 564 - 5243 | sveneziano@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: My Place hotel in Marion celebrated grand opening Wednesday