Known for a legacy of excellence with a heart for development.
Built on Experience.
McKibbon Places began with its people.
Founded by two brothers in 1926, the McKibbon family business has grown to become an industry leader in hospitality, known for owning, developing, managing, and renovating hotels in partnership with the largest hotel franchisors in the world.
After four years as General Manager of all the Atlanta Area Piggly Wiggly grocery stores, Jack McKibbon Sr. and his brother Marvin incorporated McKibbon Brothers and opened a small grocery store in Newnan, Georgia. In 1928, they opened the Piggly Wiggly at 112 Bradford St in Gainesville, GA, the first self-service grocery store north of Atlanta.
1926-1954
Jack McKibbon Jr., newly returned from the US Air Force, opened Gainesville’s first “fine-dining” restaurant, The Avion, on Broad St at Sycamore. Early in 1947, three houses on the property were converted into guest rooms with private baths and rented for $3.50 per night. In 1953, Jack Jr. tore down the houses and constructed 26 modern brick motel units with air conditioning, renaming it the Avion Motel.
1946-1964
While leasing the restaurant facilities in several Holiday Inns, Jack Jr. saw potential in owning his own Holiday Inn. In 1963, Jack Jr. opened the 79-room Holiday Inn in Gainesville, with single rooms priced at $7 per night. The inn & restaurant were an immediate success. Jack’s brother-in-law, Richard Harris, joined the company, and by the late 1960s, they were developing Holiday Inns all around Georgia.
1963-1971
Jack’s two sons, John III & Steve, joined the company and aided in its expansion with Holiday Inns in the 70s & 80s with other brands, including Sheraton, Comfort Inn, Days Inn, Ramada, and others. At one point, McKibbon Brothers was the largest Holiday Inn franchisee in the State of Georgia outside of Atlanta. Other ventures included a Denny’s restaurant, a travel agency, apartments, a shopping center, and land development.
1970s-1980s
By the early 1990s, McKibbon narrowed its focus to hotels and, in 1992, was selected as one of the first in the country to franchise with Marriott International. The Days Inn of Athens, ranked best of 1000 globally, was converted to the first franchised Courtyard by Marriott in Georgia in 1993. The newly built Courtyard in Mobile, Alabama, opened the following year. Marriott Courtyard and Residence Inn hotels were opened from Asheville, North Carolina, to Ft. Myers, Florida. Recognition from Marriott included the prestigious Partnership Circle Award, Courtyard General Manager of the Year three years in a row, and Best Opening Residence Inn three years in a row.
1990s
By the early 2000s, McKibbon expanded its franchise relationship to include Hilton and Starwood Hotels. While continuing to develop Marriott properties, McKibbon developed over 20 hotels during this time period and earned numerous “Hotel Openings of the Year” awards from their franchisors. McKibbon also began to shift their development pipeline toward the lifestyle hotel segment and focus on pursuing numerous urban mixed-use projects.
2000s
McKibbon continued to grow their lifestyle hotel portfolio in urban markets and opened the first franchisee-managed Kimpton hotel, the Kimpton Arras, in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. McKibbon also entered into the multi-family sector by developing 54 luxury condos at the Arras property. In addition, McKibbon began to take on third-party development opportunities to utilize the company’s experience and relationships to help other ownership groups develop successful properties.
2010s
McKibbon Places was formed as a new company and moved the corporate headquarters to downtown Alpharetta, Georgia. With the new company framework, McKibbon Places continued to grow its third-party development services.
2018
McKibbon Places developed and opened its first Hyatt property, Hyatt House Tampa Westshore, adding another top brand to the company’s portfolio. McKibbon Places also expands its multi-family portfolio to include developments such as Treesort in Gainesville, Georgia, as well as transitional supportive housing projects in both Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina.