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Baymont by Wyndham News
Web Site:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hvnfp-four-points-meriden/
275 Research Pkwy.,
Meriden, CT 06450
Tel: (203) 238-2380
Fax: (203) 238-3172
Renovated in 2013, Meriden's only full-service hotel has 150 rooms and suites with the plush Four Comfort Bed (sm), plus 14,516 square feet of meeting space, 18 meeting/banquet rooms and a 5,2000 square-foot ballroom for events, weddings or reunions.
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The Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center offic ...
February 17, 2004
The Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center officially changed hands midnight Tuesday and became a Sheraton Four Points Hotel.But don't expect to see the Sheraton flag flying on the Research Parkway property until nearly 75 percent of a planned $4 million overhaul is completed. The upgrades will mean a facelift to every guest room, the lobby, banquet and meeting rooms and virtually all aspects of the hotel, said General Manager Edward Giamette. Sheraton will not give its seal of approval until the franchise standards have been met, he said.
Amerimar Enterprises Inc. of Philadelphia bought the Ramada Tuesday from MeriStar Hospitality of Virginia and announced the deal to the 66 employees who will remain with the hotel, Giamette said. He said the price was not discussed. The hotel's new name was also not decided.
"This was a total sales and marketing effort. An opportunity to turn the property around and get it back on the right track," Giamette said.
Amerimar Enterprises also owns other luxury hotels in Denver, Atlanta and Philadelphia, in addition to luxury apartment and commercial buildings. According to reports, Amerimar has a pattern of buying hotels and spending half the purchase price to upgrade them to luxury hotels before reselling them. A recent acquisition was in Atlanta.
Giamette, who has worked for Sheraton hotels for 10 years, said the company selected the Ramada for its potential. Company representatives were impressed with Research Parkway, the hotel's proximity to I-691 and 91, and its reputation. The former Ramada is also the only full-service hotel in the New Haven to Middletown corridor.
Renovations will begin with the guestrooms, one floor at a time, in March and are expected to be complete at the end of April or early May. A design meeting on Jan. 19 will detail the exact improvements, he said. But for certain, he intends to have every room connected to the Internet. Current room rates, which he said are under priced, will increase slightly before and after the renovations.
Word of the sale pleased travel planners at Research Parkway companies and city officials, who said the Ramada was due for a makeover.
"We're delighted we're still going to have a full-service hotel," said Gregory Samal, purchasing and travel manager for Cuno Inc. "Always happy to see it renovated. We hope that it won't affect the room rates we negotiate every year."
Samal said the company handles travel for between 300 to 400 clients a year. Across the street, Pamela Perry, director of marketing and business development for B and L Cos., said the sale was great for the area. "We're very happy to hear they'll be making that type of investment," Perry said. Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce President Sean Moore said he was glad the sale went through because the Sheraton name is a big draw to the city. He also looks forward to maintaining the same relationship the chamber had with the Ramada. "This is the perfect hotel for the community," Moore said. "It is a full-service hotel at a great price; marry that with a perfect location and they will be successful. We would love to continue to do events there." Meriden's Economic Development Coordinator Peggy Brennan was also glad to hear the hotel would be upgraded. "I'm delighted that it's a four points, it will serve the needs of the business traveler," Brennan said. "It means the market is turning around. We're seeing it in all the sectors."
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