After more than 18 months and $20 million, the former Executive House hotel has re-opened as the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Victoria.
A major renovation of the 19-storey, 181-room hotel is now complete.
The hotel is Hilton’s first on Vancouver Island.
“We are eager to welcome guests to this hotel so they can experience the award-winning service culture for which the DoubleTree by Hilton brand is known — starting with our famous warm chocolate chip cookie welcome at check in and continuing through the entirety of their stay,” said John Greenleaf, global head of the brand.
The new-look hotel has a redesigned lobby, public space and guest rooms. It is owned by Executive House Ltd. and managed by Mairet Consulting and Management.
“Given the demand on our market, the hotel has been redesigned to ideally suit Hilton’s corporate and leisure travelers, while also putting thought into the design to specifically accommodate families,” said Francis Mairet, principal of Mairet Consulting.
All guest rooms are equipped with a refrigerator and microwave, large televisions and work space.
The hotel’s 89 suites each feature a separate living area with pullout queen sofa bed and dining areas.
The hotel’s Bartholomew’s English-Style Pub and Doubles Lounge opened last year.
Belmiro’s restaurant will not re-open at the hotel, according to its owner, Bill Almeida. Plans for the site which had been Belmiro’s and before that Barkley’s have not yet been made public.
The Executive House was built in 1964 as a hotel and apartment complex by local entrepreneur Derryck Jackson.
His daughter, Andrea Phillips, took over operations in 1985 and remains involved as owner.
There are more than 400 DoubleTree hotels around the world and Victoria is the eighth location in Canada and second in B.C., after Kamloops. Hilton has more than 4,200 hotels in 93 countries under 12 brands.
