SPOKANE, Wash. -- WestCoast Hospitality Corp. formed an agreement
to acquire the Red Lion chain and some Doubletree properties from
Hilton Hotels for considerations to be announced at closing,
expected by year's end.
The deal includes 42 Red Lion properties, primarily in the
western U.S., and five Doubletree hotels that previously used the
Red Lion name. (Hilton took over the Doubletree and Red Lion brands
when it acquired Promus in November 1999.)
WestCoast will double its portfolio from 46 hotels to 93 hotels,
and its room count from 8,600 to more than 16,000.
A spokesman for WestCoast said the firm will consider the
portfolio branding strategy during the due diligence period, but
expected that most of the hotels will use the WestCoast flag.
The acquisition also gives Spokane, Wash.-based WestCoast its
first presence in markets like San Diego; Denver; St. Paul, Minn.,
and Sacramento, Calif.