Name Swap For Sheraton Still On Track

Negotiations to transform the Sheraton-Spokane Hotel into a Red Lion Inn are still on track despite pervasive rumors to the contrary. The transition may be finalized as early as Thanksgiving, officials said.

Hotel owners admit that final negotiations have slowed somewhat but say the changeover is imminent.

The hotel, one of the best-known in the Inland Northwest, will receive interior and exterior redesigns when Red Lion Inn buys franchise rights to the property at 322 N. Spokane Falls Court.

Officials would not cite reasons for the delay in franchise transition. Although the takeover originally was slated for last spring, Sheraton’s marquee still emblazons the 367-room hotel and has fueled rumors that negotiations have broken down.

“We want to make sure both parties are happy with the agreement before we finalize anything,” said Beryl Ash, president of U.S. Development Co.

U.S. Development is a general partner with Riverfront Associates Limited Partnership, which has owned the Sheraton-Spokane since 1990. The Seattle-based company, which announced the transition in March, has no intent of selling the hotel or considering other franchise offers, Ash said.

During the delay in the Red Lion transition, rumors have spread within the business community that Spokane-based hospitality broker Goodale & Barbieri is bidding for the hotel. Those same rumors flourished before the Red Lion deal was announced.

G&B, which owns seven Cavanaugh’s Inns in Eastern Washington, also is expanding with a mid-priced hotel in downtown Seattle.

Don Barbieri, G&B president, said the company never considered the Sheraton. “With our venture on I-5, we’re in no position to be starting anything at home now,” Barbieri said in a telephone interview from his vacation home in Priest Lake, Idaho.

, DataTimes