: DeWITT — While something as simple as being able to listen to your own music when you’re far away from home may not seem that important, it’s part of an entire package of amenities geared toward making stays at the newly franchised Doubletree Hotel Syracuse comfortable. The hotel’s December conversion from a Wyndham Hotel Group franchise, called Wyndham Syracuse, to a Doubletree, which is a brand of Hilton Hotels Corporation, resulted in more than just changing the name on the sign, hotel General Manager Douglas Snavely says. All 250 of the hotels rooms and suites have been updated with new beds and linens as part of the Sweet Dreams by Doubletree Sleep Experience; new lighting, vanities, mirrors, and curved shower rods in the bathrooms; large workspaces with high-speed Internet access and dual phone lines for business travelers; and even a clock radio to which guests can connect their own MP3 players.

Along with those in-room upgrades, the hotel also doubled its corridor lighting, and work is still under way in the lobby, Regatta Bar Grille restaurant, and banquet and boardrooms. “We’ll be adding a whole, new health club,” Snavely says. A business center and sundry/gift shop near the lobby are also planned, with much of the work to be completed this year.

Work on the multi-million-dollar project (Snavely declined to give an exact amount) is being completed by an array of local and out-of-state contractors. The seven-story hotel, situated on 10 acres near Carrier Circle in the town of DeWitt, is operated under a franchise agreement with Doubletree Hotel Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilton Hotels Corp.

The hotel, managed by the Dallas–based management group Highgate Hotels, will pay franchise and marketing fees based on its revenue. Snavely declined to provide specific figures. The hotel is owned by W2005 WNY Hotels, LP.

Located at 6301 State Route 298, the hotel had been a Wyndham franchise since 1999. Prior to that it was a Marriott franchise. There were no problems with Wyndham, Snavely says, but the Hilton/Doubletree franchise, which became official Dec.

5, provides more opportunity for growth. “It’s a natural progression for this hotel, and [it’s] an affiliation with a brand we expect to grow with,” he says. With 160 contemporary and upscale locations, Doubletree is a fast-growing brand, he says.

Hilton, which also includes the Hilton, Conrad, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn Suites, Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Scandic, and The Waldorf-Astoria Collection brands, predicts total revenue of about $8.14 billion for 2006. Official earnings will be announced Jan.

31. With an eye on attracting more business travelers, Snavely says he expects the Doubletree Hotel Syracuse’s revenue to increase 15 percent in 2007. Snavely declined to provide 2006 revenue figures.

The hotel has no plans to increase its work force from the current 180 employees. The hotel’s occupancy rate is expected to stay right around the 70 percent annual rate it currently has, which is well above the average Syracuse–market rate of 60 percent, Snavely says. The additional projected revenue will result from the rates paid by travelers, particularly business travelers, he says.

“We’re not necessarily raising our rates, but having different travelers stay with us,” Snavely explains. A corporate traveler will typically pay a higher room rate than a non-business traveler. That is due, in large part, to non-business travelers using discount sites on the Internet, such as www.

travelocity.com, to secure discounted room rates. Currently, 80 percent of individual guests at the hotel are traveling for business purposes, and 20 percent are leisure travelers.

The hope is to increase the business segment even more. The Doubletree Hotel Syracuse’s close proximity to both Hancock International Airport and the New York State Thruway should boost the hotel’s appeal to business travelers. Hotel guests that are members of the Hilton HHonors guest-reward program may also earn hotel points and airline miles for their stay in Syracuse.

As part of the Doubletree franchise family, the hotel is now linked to the Doubletree Web site at syracuse.doubletree.com and also benefits from national corporate marketing efforts, according to Snavely.