Sep. 4, 2003 - The Hilton Hartford, downtown's largest hotel, is close to finalizing a sale to a Rhode Island-based company in a move that could affect ongoing downtown development plans.

The Hilton's general manager, Matt Kinley, said the sale to the Procaccianti Group of Cranston is expected to take place in the first or second week of October. He said the parties signed a sales contract on Aug. 8 with a 60-day review and closing period.

The purchase price was not available Wednesday.

Officials at the Procaccianti Group would not comment Wednesday about their plans for the hotel. The group, which bills itself as a hospitality management company, owns 20 hotels, including two in Connecticut: the Radisson New London and the Sheraton Hartford Hotel in East Hartford.

H. Scott Phelps, president of the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Procaccianti did a quality renovation of the former Ramada in East Hartford, turning it into a Sheraton.

"They've done a good job with the East Hartford Sheraton, so their track record is good," he said.

Kinley said he believes the Hartford hotel will remain a Hilton after the sale.

The Hilton Hartford, at 315 Trumbull St., is closely watched downtown because of its size -- 390 rooms -- and because it connects to both the Civic Center mall and the city's Church Street Garage.

Phelps said Procaccianti did not close the Sheraton while making renovations there. He said he does not anticipate the hotel having to close as the new Connecticut Convention Center at Adriaen's Landing prepares for a June 2005 opening.

"It's a good time to do a renovation," Phelps said. "The entire block is going under renovation."

At the mall, Boston-based Northland Investment Corp. is planning a $120 million makeover that would add an apartment tower and create sidewalk shops. The project is bolstered by more than $30 million in financial assistance from the city and state, though private fund-raising continues.

Most of the Procaccianti Group's hotels are in the Northeast, according to its website, which touts the company's strength in rehabilitating properties. Procaccianti has its own design subsidiary, Lenox Hospitality Design.

The Hilton Hartford is owned by Interstate Hotels & Resorts in Arlington, Va. Interstate's Connecticut portfolio includes hotels in Glastonbury, Manchester, Meriden, Middletown, Norwich and the Doubletree Hotel Bradley International Airport.

Harry H. Freeman, executive director of the Hartford Economic Development Commission, said he could not talk about the pending sale.

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(c) 2003, The Hartford Courant, Conn. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.