Senatobia’s only current operating hotel will be open to guests again soon.
The city’s planning commission unanimously agreed Monday, May 20, to grant Dreamland Inn & Suites at 513 East Main Street a certificate of occupancy, essentially allowing the hotel to reopen. Dreamland was shut down indefinitely in December 2023 after city officials uncovered several fire and safety code violations.
Attorney Billy Myers made the request for a certificate of occupancy on behalf of Mike Patel and Krishna Senatobia Inc., principal owner of Dreamland Inn & Suites.
“We are here asking for the opportunity to reopen the hotel because it’s now free of any violations and there’s no reason, we are aware of, that suggests it should not be reopened,” Myers explained to the planning commission. “The owner has addressed and corrected all the issues the fire inspector pointed out.”
In November 2023, the Senatobia fire inspector flagged Dreamland Inn & Suites for numerous safety code violations. Several photos and a list of infractions were submitted for non-compliance with city fire codes.
Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler told the Tate Record many violations were originally found during an inspection in 2022 including non-existent fire extinguishers and lack of smoke alarms in certain areas of the two-story hotel which houses approximately 50 rooms. He also said several of the extinguishers and smoke alarms in the building were not functioning properly and there was no fire alarm reporting system to the front desk.
Chandler said the same issues and several more were found during a reinspection Dec. 4, 2023, which led the shutdown of Dreamland Inn & Suites. Violations of guest occupancy limits according to city zoning were one of the many problems found. An investigation uncovered one family had been living in the hotel for eight months and two other families were there for an extended period, according to Chandler.
The Mississippi State Department of Health conducted a full inspection of Dreamland Inn & Suites a few days later and found no health code violations but issued a statement supporting the City of Senatobia’s effort to get the business in compliance with city code regulations.
Several signs were placed on the property notifying the public of Dreamland’s temporary closure and police officers conducted extra patrols to secure the property safety and ensure none of the rooms were occupied.
The city fire inspector conducted a reinspection Jan. 4, 2024, and discovered a couple of new violations which were promptly repaired, according to Myers. Dreamland Inn & Suites was cleared of all city code violations during a final inspection Jan. 22, 2024.
“We are presenting a plan of action in hopes that it avoids the issues that gave the city concerns in the first place,” Myers said. “The desire of Mike Patel today and all along has been to run a quality business.
According to Myers, Patel intends to lease the property to Bella Hospitality. The action plan by Krishna Senatobia Inc. will be included in the lease of the asset to Bella Hospitality and guaranteed by the general manager of the hotel in writing.
The plan of action includes the following:
• Hotel shall have a general manager at the location during business hours and available 24 hours a day for any concerns.
• Hotel has been cleaned and updated and the city can have inspections at any time to monitor conditions.
• Hotel will implement a check-in policy that requires a copy of identification and a credit card to rent a room. If no credit card is available, a deposit of $50 will be taken and upon checkout, the room condition will be checked upon release of deposit.
• Hotel will filter "undesirable guests". If any slip through, a "DO NOT RENT" list will be created. Hotel will work hand in hand with local law enforcement to clear the area of such patronage.
• Maximum number of days a guest can stay in a room is 10 days, then the guest MUST check out. A sign will be posted stating so.
• Hotel will guarantee that all local codes and reputation management of the city will be upheld. It will do its utmost to be a desirable business within the city.
Patel does not know an exact reopening date for the hotel but hopes it will be fully operational sometime in June.
