Marriott to raise third flag at Union Square - San Francisco Business Times:

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Owner Felcor Lodging Trust said the conversion and renovation will take close toa year. At that point, withinj a roughly 1,000-foot radius arounrd Union Square, will sit the downtown Marriott, with 1,500 rooms; the JW with 330; and the 403-room former Crowne Brand concentration is alarger trend. San Francisco now has two Westinsabout 2,000 feet apart from one another followinfg the conversion of the Argent to the Westij flag last year, despite the nearbh Westin St. Francis. The city also recently added asecond Ritz-Carltoh and a second if you count timeshare operations. Felcor vice presidenrt Stephen Schafersaid he's not worried abou t competition from the neighboring Marriotts.
"It's a different Schafer said. Schafer said the JW Marriottf will appeal to a more upscale custometr and the other downtown Marriott to more convention traveler s due to its proximity to theconventionb center. Hotel consultant Curtis Davieas said that Marriottprobably isn'g oversaturating the market, since it will have approximately the same number of roomsa under its flag as Hilton, even aftere taking on the Crowne Plaza. But it still mightr have been better outside theMarriotft umbrella. "The success of the boutiqus companies such as and would suggest that a growing number of guests are seeking something other thanthe 'cookie-cutter' product offered by the Davies said.
Schafer said the company plansa "tol to bottom" redevelopment of the hotel. Felcor's decisionh to reinvest in the Crowne Plaza underscoresSan Francisco's increasinglu robust hospitality trade. Hotel revenue grew close to 8 percen t in San Francisco in estimatednear year's end. It is expecter to grow similarlyin 2008, thanks to the weak which has spiked international and also thanks to a strong conventiomn calendar and a strengtheningv local economy. Many other large San Francisco hotelw are in various stages of theirown large-scal e remodels. Felcor will not name its hote l "Marriott" until after the renovation is complete.
In the it has dubbed the propertyy "Hotel 480," a reflection of its addresxs at 480Sutter St. In addition to lending its name to the will also manage the which was previously runby .