One Holiday Inn hotel coming, one Holiday Inn leaving.
I saw a little while back that the Holiday Inn and Suites hotel suddenly had its named stripped from the exterior. I wondered then if the University of Winnipeg was about to announce another acquisition. Alas, the hotel temporarily re-named Red River Hotel and Suites.
Unlike the Sheraton Hotel that rebranded as York, The Hotel, and later was coverted back to apartments, the hotel on Colony Street seems intent on coming back better than ever.
The move of the bus terminal to the airport, the continuing expansion of the university and the Manitoba Hydro building are all compelling reasons for the hotel to take advantage of their proximity to all.
There was a time when the old Mall Hotel was about the roughest place in the city you could go. The Relax Hotel that went up following the demolition of the scary looking Mall in the 1980s was cheered by many.
The area around the University of Winnipeg is changing rapidly. It is being transformed and Portage Avenue is benefiting greatly.
The physical improvements to the U of W campus combined with the departure of the bus terminal will probably make this hotel a more appealing place to stay.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder what the logic behind reflagging the hotel is, though, as Holiday Inn seemed like a good fit given the nature of the building and its location. Is it just a matter of how much the owners have to pay in royalties, or is there more to it than that?
Not sure why there is a re-branding. I sometimes have a tough time keeping up with the changes to hotel names.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I guess it is all part of trying to make sure the hotel is paired with the national chains best suited for their marketing.