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Source: Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.儲存倉Oct. 25--PEORIA -- When you're the largest hotel in Downtown Peoria, facing one of the busiest months of the year, the last thing you want to do is close up shop.But that was the decision made earlier this month by the owners of Four Points by Sheraton, 500 Hamilton Blvd."We probably won't open until late February," said Larry Rose, the hotel's general manager, who now oversees a $4 million renovation project."We've got one room done. Now we just have 318 to go," he said during a tour of the hotel earlier this week.The Stamford, Conn.-based Starwood Hotel chain that owns the Four Points property decided on total renovation after a lift motor in one of the hotel's two major elevators went down, said Rose."(Having only one elevator) would have been a problem for our guests, but we need both elevators to do the renovations," he said.An overhaul for the hotel had been in the works but was originally planned to occur in stages, with the hotel still operating, said Rose.The facility's sudden closing on Oct. 13 was a jolt not only for the hotel's 110 employees, but also for the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, which had to relocate hundreds of guests and a number of conventions."We estimate that we'll have moved 3,700 room nights before we're done," said Don Welch, the bureau's executive director, who's also had to shuffle a number of conventions around."Each group that comes to town has different needs and interests. It's been a great opportunity (for the bureau) to strengthen our relationship with these groups," he said.Welch said the bureau also has worked to satisfy the needs of those who chose to stay Downtown because of events at the Peoria Civic Center.Hotel employees will have their jobs waiting for them Downtown when the hotel reopens, said Rose, but not everyone's been put temporarily out of work. Sales and catering staffs continue, "and we still have folks in accounting," he said.Mary Williams and Kim Hendrick bolster the hotel's accounting department, while Mike Moten, the assistant chief engineer, who's worked for numerous owners in his 27 years, carries on with his duties, said the manager.Although there are no guests staying at the nine-floor hotel at present, there's plenty o迷你倉最平 activity as demolition crews work to strip rooms completely."We're using two shifts of demolition workers to get the job done," said Rose, noting that once rooms are cleared down to bare walls, the F, F and E teams take over, providing furniture, fixtures and equipment."Essentially, we'll have a brand new hotel when we're finished," said the manager, who took over the reins in January."This will make us significantly more competitive. The place was old, tired. It needed to be refreshed," said Rose.The overhaul isn't limited to guest rooms, he said. "We're redoing all the public spaces as well as the lobby and the restaurant," said Rose.Weismore Construction from Orlando, Fla. is overseeing the hotel overhaul, using all local subcontractors, he said.This isn't the first time the Downtown hotel, which opened as the Voyager Inn in 1959, has seen change. Over the years, there have been additions, renovations and ownership changes. It's been known as the Continental Regency as well as the Holiday Inn City Centre.But what's going on at Four Points goes much further than a face-lift, said Rose. "The infrastructure here needed a boost. We had to bring it into the modern era," he said.Visitors will see an expanded lobby area with better access to the hotel's bar and restaurant, which also are being totally overhauled, said Rose, noting that the new restaurant will be hotel owned rather than a franchise such as Bennigan's, the previous tenant.With 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Rose knows the importance of modernization. "The hotel business is extremely competitive, with guest satisfaction the primary focus, particularly today with social media. If a guest has a bad experience, it hits the Internet like a bomb," he said.While competitive, hotels also work together, added Rose, crediting Welch and the visitors bureau team along with area hotels for handling the business originally booked at Four Points this winter.Steve Tarter can be reached at 686-3260 or starter@pjstar.com. Follow his blog, Minding Business, on pjstar.com and follow him on Twitter @SteveTarter.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.) Visit the Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.) at .PJStar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉