Jan. 12, 2007 - A hotel on Hilton Head Island has a new name -- its third in less than a year -- and a $1 million facelift. In the last year, the hotel has gone from the "Hilton Head Plaza Hotel and Suites" to the "Hilton Head Grand" before the new owners put out the name "Hilton Head Metropolitan Hotel."

The hotel on South Forest Beach Drive on the southern end of Hilton Head also has received nearly $1 million worth of renovations in the past five months, before officially becoming the Metropolitan on Jan. 1, said general manager Brennan Robertson.

Some finishing touches remain for the renovations at the 140-room hotel, such as new carpets in the hallways. Nearly all of the room changes, like refrigerators and microwaves in every room, new carpeting and new beds and linens, have been completed, Robertson said.

The current owner, the Metropolitan Hotel Group, bought the hotel in March, but didn't want to put the company name on it until after the improvements, hence the Grand name for a few months, Robertson said. The establishment started as a Four Points Hotel by Sheraton in the 1980s.

The hotel group also owns hotels in the Detroit, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale markets.

New ownership also changed the restaurant from "Peckerheads" to the "Forest Beach Grill." With average room rates between $89 and $139 during the peak tourism season and a short walk across the street to the beach, the hotel will appeal to families visiting the island, Robertson said. Contact Jim Faber at 706-8137 or [email protected].

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Island Packet, Hilton Head Island, S.C.

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