The upscale Medallion Hotel opens Jan. 1 at Smokey Point and I-5, but it will look much like the Hawthorn Suites that has been there for nearly a decade.
General Manager Amber Armstrong said the hotel is going independent, dropping the 8-year-old Hawthorn Suites franchise and operating on its own under the new Medallion name.
A grand-opening party celebrating the new name will be held near the end of January, she said.
“No other Hawthorn Suites have been built in or near Snohomish County since we opened, so we haven’t had all of the shared publicity that we had expected,” she said. “Also, we were the only Hawthorn Inn in the nation that had a restaurant and a luxury spa and salon as part of the hotel. We weren’t a good fit for them and our franchise limited what we could do in making changes here.
Last July, the Hawthorn Suites chain was bought by Wyndham Hotel Group but Armstrong said that change didn’t provide any advantages for the Arlington hotel.
“We’re best as an independent, locally owned and operated hotel. We really don’t fit into the range of properties that Wyndham operates, many of which offer far less than we do at Medallion,” she said.
The change will enable Medallion to do more local promotions, change services and operate to meet needs of local and regional travelers, she said discussing the changes during an interview shared with the hotel’s new sales manager, Tom Pitts.
Business has been good, even with the recent opening of the Tulalip Resort Casino Hotel and the Holiday Inn Express at 128th St. NE, a few miles away, she said.
“We had a slowing shortly after Labor Day weekend, then it picked up again. Over the past week we’ve been sold out several days in a row,” Armstrong said.
The hotel recently upgraded all of its rooms with a new burgundy-and-gold décor, custom-designed furniture and 42-inch flat-screen televisions. Also, the hotel’s restaurant, The Cellar Restaurant &Lounge, has re-opened for lunches, she said.
The Spa &Salon at Medallion has a full range of services and Medallion features more than 10,000 square feet of conference and convention facilities, as well as a board room and the 20-seat Cellar Room for business and private meetings and gathering.
Rooms include a refrigerator, microwave, DVD player and high-speed wireless Internet service. Suites have kitchenettes and spas available. The hotel also offers an indoor heated pool and hot tub, a fitness room and a relaxing entrance setting with landscaped pools with colorful Koi.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
