Jan. 16, 2006 - Remington Hotel Corp. in Dallas, the management company of the Radisson Plaza Hotel at 815 S. Main St., said it plans to announce this week changes it will be making to the historic hotel, and word on the street is that the property will be take on the Hilton name.

The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce is reporting in an e-mail newsletter to members that Stan Kennedy, vice president and general manager at the hotel, recently told a Chamber business networking meeting that the hotel will become a Hilton in April and undergo $10.5 million in renovations.

Kennedy could not be reached for comment last week.

Jack McHugh, senior vice president at Remington Hotel, said he would comment on the changes planned for the hotel after the news release is issued.

Doug Harmon, president of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he understood that those plans are to convert the Radisson to a national brand name that is recognized as a convention center hotel. He said he did not know the specifics.

Hilton is a recognized in the industry as a hotel to the convention trade, and changing the Radisson would be a good move, he told Star-Telegram reporter Sandra Baker.

"The Radisson is not recognized as a convention center hotel," Harmon said. "Now that it is being restored to a convention center brand name, that will go a long way. That is very positive news for the city."

The changes come as Omni Hotels in Irving plans a $90 million hotel project on the west side of the convention center.

The 13-story Radisson Plaza was built in 1921 as the Hotel Texas and is famous for being the last place President Kennedy stayed before he was killed in Dallas in 1963.

The hotel has 517 guest rooms and has been owned since the mid-1990s by Ashford Hospitality Trust, a real-estate investment trust in Dallas.

The hotel has carried several flags, including Sheraton and Hyatt Regency. It has been remodeled a couple of times, and an annex was added across Commerce Street several years ago. The Fort Worth Convention Center opened across the street from the hotel in 1968.

Barry Shlachter, (817) 390-7718 [email protected] Maria Perotin, (817) 685-3808 [email protected] Jim Fuquay, (817) 390-7552 [email protected] Barry Shlachter, (817) 390-7718 [email protected] Maria Perotin, (817) 685-3808 [email protected] Jim Fuquay, (817) 390-7552 [email protected]

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