Olympia’s Red Lion has a new look and a new name

The west-side Olympia hotel formerly known as the Red Lion has emerged as Hotel RL after an extensive renovation the past year, including improvements to the lobby, hotel and bar.

Red Lion properties already have been re-named in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and now Red Lion Hotels Corp. is rolling out Hotel RLs in Olympia, Spokane, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Brooklyn.

The Olympia property, which was built in 1969 and became a Red Lion in 2003, offers 193 rooms and 16,500 square feet of meeting space. Renovations were supposed to begin in early 2015 and be complete in December. Director of sales Jeff Bowe has said work was delayed on the project so that its legislative session business would not be interrupted by construction.

The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce had its monthly lunch forum at Hotel RL on Wednesday. Mike Williams, co-owner of TAGS Awards & Specialties, said the hotel feels completely new and different.

“It was a significant change and improvement,” Williams said Wednesday, adding that he’d be happy to have guests and family stay at the hotel.

Most noticeable were the changes to the lobby, he said, which now features a coffee bar. The reception area, which used to be to the right as guests entered the main lobby doors, has been replaced with seating.

“It looks great,” he said. “The tone of the place is changing to feel more modern.”

Hotels have been a hot sector in Thurston County in recent years. Among the changes:

▪ A new Hampton Inn & Suites is set to open on Martin Way East in Olympia.

▪ A La Quinta Inn & Suites opened on Capitol Boulevard in Tumwater.

▪ Downtown Olympia’s Governor Hotel has undergone renovations. It’s also become part of Coast Hotels.

▪ The downtown Olympia hotel formerly known as the Phoenix Inn is now a DoubleTree by Hilton.

▪ The former Capitol Plaza Hotel on Capitol Way is now a Marriott TownPlace Suites.

▪ A Hilton Garden Inn is under construction on Interstate 5 at Henderson Boulevard in Olympia.

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Olympia’s Red Lion has a new look and a new name."