[SteelTown]

Back at the Sheraton, 80 per cent of the hotel's 301 rooms have been renovated so far. They now feature plush beds, plasma flatscreen TVs, wired and wireless Internet connections and polished bathrooms. The hotel's restaurant, Chagall's, and an adjacent lounge have been fully redone, and there are more meeting rooms and an expanded fitness centre.

The ballroom area will soon be renovated and the plan is to aggressively go after the wedding and convention market. The front entrance and lobby will also be redone, and some office space will be added to the ground floor. There will also be a third-floor outdoor patio adjacent to the pool.

The goal is to have all the work wrapped up by the end of the year, says Frank Vismeg, an industry veteran who has launched and turned around hotels all over the world. He's been hired to handle marketing for the Sheraton. The plan is to achieve a 4.5-star rating when the renovations are done, he says.

David Adames, executive director of Tourism Hamilton, says the Sheraton is the city's biggest hotel and a critical piece in attracting conventions and sporting events.

“The reinvestment was very welcome. … We had heard complaints from customers about the hotel being tired.”

Sheraton owner Darko Vranich, who bought the 23-year-old hotel in September 2008, is aiming to break ground on a new 138-unit Staybridges Suite at the corner of Hess and George streets in July. Vranich also has plans for a 182-room Homewood Suites in the area, along with 300-400 residential units.

He owns hotels in Burlington, Haliburton, London, Sudbury, Huntsville and North Bay.

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