Oct. 11, 2003 - The Adam's Mark Hotel, one of Houston's biggest, is undergoing a major renovation and a name change. 

Next spring, the 604-room west Houston property will be renamed Marriott Houston Westchase Hotel. 

Being affiliated with Marriott should improve the hotel's operation and enhance its ability to attract travelers, said Harry Greenblatt, manager and part-owner of the hotel. 

"Marriott has very good brand recognition," Greenblatt said. 

The hotel is at 2900 Briarpark Drive, just south of Westheimer, in the Westchase District. 

The changes follow the sale of the hotel in May to a joint venture between Greenblatt, Pyramid Advisors and Morgan Stanley by HBE Corp. of St. Louis. 

Houston's Adam's Mark is part of a 23-hotel chain, which is tiny in comparison to Marriott, with its 2,600 properties. 

The hotel, which opened in the early 1980s, will get a thorough renovation -- its most extensive fix-up in its two decades. 

The Adam's Mark, which is the only one of that brand in Houston, ranks among the top 10 largest hotels in the city in terms of rooms. 

The 977-room Hyatt Regency Houston downtown is the largest hotel currently. But the 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston will reign as the city's largest when it opens in December. 

The work, costing $18 million, will include improvements to the lobby, the exterior and the guest rooms, Greenblatt said. 

New wallpaper, carpet, furniture, drapes, bathtubs and beds will be installed in the rooms. Only the toilets will remain. 

The work will be completed by August. 

The Adam's Mark, which is sold out for the Super Bowl, will have a substantial number of rooms renovated before the big game on Feb. 1, 2004, Greenblatt said. 

The Adam's Mark has traditionally gained overflow traffic from the Galleria market when the Galleria hotels are full, hotel consultant Kyle Bowman of PKF Consulting said. 

But the improvements in the Westchase office market make the hotel's outlook bright because business travelers will increase demand for hotel rooms, Bowman said. 

Its room rates average about $140 per night. 

The hotel has 40,000 square feet of meeting space, which makes it a draw for small conventions and meetings, said Jim Murphy, president of the Westchase District. 

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