Red Lion Reopening As Doubletree

Sat., June 7, 1997

Sam Francis Staff writer

Doubletree Hotels is betting on chocolate chip cookies.

The Phoenix-based chain, which gives guests freshly baked chocolate chip cookies when they check in, is counting on those cookies and a nationwide marketing effort to attract hungry guests to its Valley hotel, formerly the Spokane Valley Red Lion.

“We have a cookie warmer that we keep at the front desk and we make them fresh every day,” said Aundrea Jensen. “Guests are surprised.”

Doubletree bought the Vancouver, Wash.-based Red Lion chain last November for $1.2 billion. Included in the purchase were the Valley Red Lion and the Spokane Red Lion downtown, formerly the Sheraton.

The name change occurs Monday at both the downtown and Valley hotels.

Since the purchase, Doubletree has started a $1.2 million renovation of the 237-room Valley hotel. The work should be completed by October.

Improvements include a new roof, landscaping, complete renovation of the pool area, including poolside food and bar service with modern furnishings. The exterior of the building will receive fresh paint.

“The Red Lion acquisition was a perfect match with Doubletree,” said Richard Kelleher, Doubletree president. “Red Lion properties are well-located and in excellent physical condition.”

But Red Lion, a regional chain, lacked national name recognition, said Ray Murphy, executive director of the Spokane Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. He said Doubletree’s name recognition and the new Spokane Valley Mall will attract guests who might have stayed downtown to the Valley hotel.

The Valley Doubletree is already seeing an influx of guests from across the country.

“We’re seeing people from St. Louis, Wisconsin, Hong Kong,” said Larry Ross, Valley Doubletree general manager. “Chicago is going to be a big market for us.”

Ross attributes the geographical diversity of guests to a variety of factors, especially Doubletree’s national reputation. The company also has an extensive reservations access network.

Doubletree owns about 240 hotels with 570,000 rooms in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.

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