Cedar Rapids City Hall seeks Doubletree by Hilton brand for its downtown hotel

CEDAR RAPIDS - City Hall is looking to secure the Doubletree by Hilton brand for what had been the downtown Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel.

The City Council is slated on Tuesday to discuss and vote on a resolution to apply to the Hilton Corporation for a Doubletree franchise, an application that comes with a fee not to exceed $75,000, according to the council's agenda published Friday afternoon.

The downtown hotel is now owned by the city, which bought it for $3.2 million in March from its creditors. The city has closed the building for major renovation and slated to reopen it in the fall of 2012 as part of the city's Convention Complex project. The Convention Complex also features a new convention center and a renovated U.S. Cellular Center arena, which is connected to the hotel.

The council agenda refers to the hotel as the Cedar Rapids Convention Complex Hotel.

The city had said it had been talking to three “upscale” brands in hopes of securing one of the three for the hotel. The three were Sheraton, Doubletree by Hilton and Radisson, city officials have said.