Hotel Roanoke Rebranded As Part of Hilton’s “Curio” Group

The Hotel Roanoke is now part of "Curio – A Collection By Hilton.”
The Hotel Roanoke is now part of “Curio – A Collection By Hilton.”

Since it reopened in 1995 – after being saved from the wrecking ball perhaps by the Virginia Tech Foundation – Hotel Roanoke has been managed by the Doubletree Hotel arm of the Hilton Hotel chain. Doubletree properties are known for the chocolate chip cookies that guests receive when they check in.

Well the cookies and the Doubletree brand are gone. Hotel Roanoke is now under the “Curio – A Collection By Hilton” brand, which focuses on unique upscale properties. Gary Walton stays on as the general manager after moving over from the Doubletree brand to the Benchmark management arm under the Curio label, which allows Hotel Roanoke to be marketed as an unique property and may appeal to a whole different set of visitors.

“Curio is one of Hilton’s newest brands,” said Walton, reserved for “unique hotels with great character, great history and great stories. It was really designed for those hotels to maintain their independence.” Walton feels Hotel Roanoke may be a better fit with Curio than with the Doubletree brand in the long run. He says room rates “will remain competitive” to what had been in place previously and to the local market.

As the change takes place the hotel is in the middle of a multimillion dollar room upgrade, with other renovations to meeting spaces and the outdoor pool deck already in place. Lionberger Construction is handling the room upgrade, which had been in the works before the Curio brand makeover. Yes, the famed cookie is going away said Walton, “and we really want to replace that … with more of a local flavor with products from local farmers [perhaps].”

Virginia Tech president Timothy Sands said the move to Curio “takes it up a notch to where [the hotel] really should be. It’s perfect for Hotel Roanoke.” He envisions it as “an anchor for Tech’s relationship between its home base in the New River Valley and the Roanoke Valley – a step in further integrating the two valleys: We want to be part of that.”

Roanoke mayor David Bowers remembers those conversations about the property’s fate more than two decades ago. “It’s mind boggling. Can you imagine Roanoke without the Hotel Roanoke? It’s certainly not only a premiere hotel, it’s a premiere conference center. We’re continuing to compete, by upgrading, with other cities in Virginia and the mid-atlantic states for conventions and meetings. This is a very unique place to visit.”

Gene Marrano

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