Cut-rate, Extended Stay Hotel Chain Eyeing Minnesota Expansion, Burnsville on Short List

A Wichita-based hotel company is planning to aggressively expand into the Twin Cities market, and Burnsville is a likely candidate for a new location.

Value Place, an “extended stay” franchise, intends to open 24 new franchise locations in Minnesota during the next five years, Twin Cities Business Magazine reports. Director of Franchise Development Keith Jones told the magazine that  the plan was "still in its early stages," but that the company had targeted Burnsville, Coon Rapids, and Minneapolis as "key potential sites." 
 
Customers at Value Place pay by the week, rather than the night, and occupy rooms with apartment-style amenities, like a small kitchen. Each hotel has a laundry room as well for long-term guests. The chain keeps costs—and prices low—primarily by maintaining a relatively small staff, just five employees per hotel.
 
Since its founding in 2002, Value Place has grown rapidly, with 185 locations in the U.S. At present, it has only Minnesota location in Rochester. The company will be hosting an executive reception on Oct. 22 at the Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis for potential investors.