Holiday Inn to do $18M upgrade

By Monica Potts

Stamford Advocate

January 07, 2008

STAMFORD - The Holiday Inn Select in downtown Stamford will receive an $18 million facelift in a project to begin with a wall-breaking ceremony tomorrow.

Davidson Hotel Co. of Memphis bought the hotel from FelCor Lodging Trust in March and began planning the renovation, said Bill Ingler, hotel general manager.

'We're upgrading to a four-star atmosphere,' he said of the three-star hotel. The name will change from Holiday Inn Select to Holiday Inn.

The hotel at 700 Main St. has seen an influx of business from production crews of movies being shot in Stamford and surrounding towns.

'It increased our occupancy by about 15 (percentage) points over the previous year,' Ingler said. 'Hopefully once renovation is done, more people will come visit us.'

Built in 1984, the 10-story hotel has 380 rooms. It was a Ramada Inn until it was sold to Holiday Inns in 1996.

Kevin Segalla, president of the Connecticut Film Center, said his firm, which provides services to production companies filming in Connecticut, makes lodging recommendations and often steers crews to the Holiday Inn.

'We've been giving them a tremendous amount of business, and we've seen the Holiday Inn becoming a very busy place,' Segalla said. 'I would imagine that this renovation is in part due to the great increase in business they've seen.'

Production companies need special rates because they book hotel space for four, five or six months, and Holiday Inn works with them, Segalla said.

'They've played an important role in bringing movies to Connecticut by doing that,' he said.

Segalla could not give the names of unannounced productions that plan to shoot in Stamford and have crews staying at the hotel in the winter and spring. But Segalla said crews from many recent movies - such as 'Revolutionary Road,' 'In Bloom,' 'Reservation Road,' 'Factory Girl' and 'Old Dogs' - have stayed there in the past.

The hotel will not close during the renovations, which are scheduled to finish in June, Ingler said. Each room will get new furniture and 37-inch high-definition televisions, and the bathrooms of the king-size rooms will have glass showers instead of tubs.

New wallpaper and carpeting will be installed in the hallways and lobby. The restaurant will be redone, and the bar and swimming pool will be moved. The club lounge on the 10th floor will be expanded.

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