Crescent Tapped To Manage Adolphus Hotel

"We like the whole area, and the Adolphus is a great complement to the Sheraton," says Michael George, president and CEO of Crescent Hotels. "With the two premier hotels, there is a great deal of cross-selling opportunity."

George tells GlobeSt.com that Crescent Hotels will keep the same management team in place at the Adolphus Hotel and there are no plans to change the name. "This is really a brand in itself," he explains.

The Adolphus is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built in 1912 by beer magnate Adolphus Busch, multiple additions have been put on the original structure at 1321 Commerce St. over the years. George acknowledges those additions have created some challenges in terms of marketing.

"At one time, there were 1,200 rooms in this hotel, and it eventually shrank to 428," he remarks. "This has led to a lot of idiosyncrasies between the room types." But challenges are what drive Crescent Hotels, he continues. The more complicated the asset, the better. "We'll work hard to market this nationally and internationally," he explains. "The European architecture, flavor and design is appealing to other nations."

In addition to plotting a marketing strategy, Crescent Hotels will upgrade areas as needed, particularly technology and soft goods. Furthermore, emphasis will be placed on food and beverage, as Crescent Hotels adds to the hotel's existing three restaurants.

But in terms of the architecture, nothing will change. "The structure is quite good, and we want to keep the historic connotation of the hotel as our whole theme," George says.