Last week, LebTown reported that the former Days Inn at Quentin Road and Poplar Streets was bearing a new flag. Well, two flags, and temporary ones at that.
Today we spoke with hospitality industry professional Rex Jariwala, director of operations for the hotel group, and learned more about his employer Hammock Worldwide’s thinking with the Lebanon flag change and building refresh.
First, a quick explanation: “Flag change” is the industry term for switching brands on hotel building. Hammock Worldwide owns a number of hotels in the area, and had previously operated the building when it was a Days Inn.
Jariwala has been overseeing operations at Lebanon on behalf of the hotel group for a number of years now, and he says that the change to Clarion Hotel and Rodeway Inn is a reflection of the growth the company has seen in the market.
“Lebanon has seen a tremendous amount of growth over the past few years, and we felt that it was important that we had the right flag or brand on the building that would reflect that,” he said in an interview this afternoon.
Jariwala noted that Hammock has been investing in the building even before the flag change, modernizing rooms and upgrading the elevator system. You can expect more changes going forward, such as updated signage and possibly some exterior refurbishments.
Regarding the dual-flag setup being used, Jariwala explained that the tower building will be comprised of Clarion Hotel rooms, with lower-priced Rodeway Inn rooms in the annex building on the rear of the property.
“We still respect the history of the town and the building, and in fact we still have the original shovel from groundbreaking,” said Jariwala. “We certainly invite anyone who’d like to stop by and see the changes.”