"There was so much demand for the rooms, we couldn't continue renovations during that period," a spokeswoman for the hotel at 1521 W. Pinhook Rd. tells GlobeSt.com. "We were at 100% occupancy from September to mid-November." As a result, part of the work also involved minor clean-up of the rooms. "People were living out of their rooms steadily for a month or two and the rooms got used a lot more," she says, adding that the extra cleanup was added to the renovation task list.

A growing demand for higher-end hotels in the area initially prompted manager Interstate Hotels & Resorts Inc. of Arlington, VA to undertake the overhaul of the 1983-constructed Hilton Lafayette. The hotel, one of three full-service properties in the area, underwent a soft-goods replacement in 2001. The more recent make-over--guest rooms, lobbies and meeting rooms--involved "going down to the cement and starting again from there," the contact says.

Moline Construction Management Inc. of Dallas was the general contractor and Mitchell Carlson & Stone of Houston was the interior designer. Interstate Hotels' other area hotel, the Holiday Inn Lafayette at 2032 N. East Evangeline Thruway also is undergoing renovation.