The crew is on standby to set the sign as soon as it arrives. Going forward, the name is Doral Tesoro Hotel & Golf Club. The Greg Norman-designed championship course, which cost about $10 million to build, is in line for $2 million in improvements, according to Interstate. No improvements are planned for the 18-month-old hotel, John Emery, Interstate's president and CEO, tells GlobeSt.com.
"We are very selective in the type of properties that we put that flag on," Emery stresses. The Doral moniker means the hotel will look to meetings for its bookings. But it's not just any meeting: the chase is on for the conference circuit of corporate chiefs and their decision-making cabinets. The hotel's new general manager is Sam Oliasani.
Jay Morrish, a leading golf course designer, will steer the upgrades to put it "on a par with some of the most desirable courses in the country," according to Interstate. The course will stay closed until October.
Emery confides re-flagging discussions have been underway with the owners since Interstate took over the management in fall 2002. He says it was just a matter of fine-tuning the details "once they understood about Doral." Interstate holds a 10-year management contract for the hotel, which shares a Northeast Tarrant County positioning along Interstate 35W with Texas Motor Speedway and Alliance Airport.
Interstate's other Doral hotels are the Forrestal in Princeton, NJ; Arrowwood in Rye Brook, NY; Eaglewood in Chicago; Park Avenue Hotel in New York City; and Desert Princess in Palm Springs. The branding, says the hotelier, is "dedicated to creating an environment for relaxation, the accomplishment of business objectives and effective learning experiences.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.