Originally Posted by
char777
Well, judging by that article, Compri Hotels came out around ~1985, and Embassy Suites was formed in 1984, so I suppose the concept was still relatively new
I wasn't aware until reading this and the other thread that DoubleTree wasn't owned by Hilton until they bought Promus in 1999. So could someone tell me what the DoubleTrees (sans Club) were like before Hilton? Surely it wasn't the catchall brand that it is today?
I worked for the Orange, CA DT from approx 1984 to 1988. This is when DT was a privately-held company based out of Phoenix. I believe they had 8 hotels total when I started, and I recall them being considered very upscale properties, equivalent to perhaps a Fairmont in today's world. This was at a time when the chain was growing quite rapidly, including adding the Compri concept, later to become Doubletree Club. My then-spouse helped to open one of the first Compri properties, at ONT airport. In the late 80's DT came under the ownership of Metropolitan Insurance (under the corporate name, MetHotels), and at some point, not sure when, the chain became part of Promus, and then of course, Hilton. The hotels I can recall being part of the chain when I started in 1084 were Scottsdale (now a Days Inn), Tucson, Orange, Monterrey (now Portola Hotel), Seattle Inn (now demolished), Seattle Suites, and I can't remember the others (there may have been a second in Tucson).