S.D. Doubletree Hotel Will Switch to Hilton

The San Diego Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley announced Thursday that it will drop its affiliation with Phoenix-based Doubletree and join forces with Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels Corp.

The hotel, which had been a Doubletree franchise, will remain a franchised property with Hilton, according to Bob Payne, president of Multi-Ventures, the Mission Valley hotel’s managing general partner. The switch will occur early next year, Payne said.

The announcement came days after the Omni Hotel at Horton Plaza announced it would join the Doubletree chain. Payne said the two actions are unrelated.

“I’ve been talking to Hilton for about 12 months,” he said. “Doubletree didn’t know about my discussions with Hilton. The Omni (announcement) was just pure coincidence.”

Payne said the Mission Valley property is switching to Hilton because “we’ll be recognized as a part of an internationally known organization. . . . The brand identification of a Hilton Hotel is on a worldwide basis.” The hotel hopes to bolster occupancy rates and average room-night charges through its affiliation with Hilton, he said.

The Omni, which is expected to make the switch to Doubletree in 1992, will be the fifth Doubletree property in town, including the Mission Valley hotel. Hilton operates only one hotel, a property on Mission Bay.

Payne said his group will pump at least $500,000 into the 4-year-old Mission Valley hotel to improve meeting and banquet rooms.