Jul. 29, 2003 - The Hampton Inn, built in 1986 during some of Pueblo's worst economic times and located on what was then a lonely stretch of prairie along Interstate 25, has been sold.

Sunstone Hotel Investors, which also owns the Marriott adjacent to the city's Convention Center, sold the North Side hotel to the Summit Group of Sioux Falls, S.D., for $2.5 million, according to a warranty deed filed last week with the Pueblo County Clerk.

Craig Aniszewski, Summit's vice president for operations and development, said that his company also bought Sunstone's Denver Tech Center Hampton.

Sunstone also owns the Pueblo Marriott. That company's officials did not return phone calls Monday but Aniszewski said that the Marriott was not offered to Summit and that it appeared Sunstone was concentrating on its full-service business like the Marriotts and selling off "select service" properties like the Hampton.

Aniszewski said that Summit would retain the Hampton franchise and would begin an upgrade of the hotel. "We're going to do a pretty extensive renovation which will also include a brand new pool and updating all the guest rooms," he said.

Officials of Summit and Sunstone did not return phone calls Monday, but there is no indication that Sunstone planned to sell the Marriott, one of its larger properties.

The Hampton was built by C&R Hotel Developers, the first development of lots located along the interstate at Eagleridge Boulevard.

Although isolated from the hotels and restaurants that had clustered around Elizabeth Street and U.S. 50 West, the Hampton managed to do a strong business because of its modern style and amenities. It was the first new hotel built in Pueblo in years.

Now, it's surrounded by a number of competitors and plenty of eating establishments.

A Hampton Inn & Suites is located in Pueblo's Southgate area across from the Pueblo Greyhound Park. It and the neighboring Microtel Inn & Suites are owned by Brothers Hospitality of North Platte, Neb.

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(c) 2003, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. HLT, SSI, MAR, MCTL,