$10 million later, Tri-Cities landmark hotel reopening as a Holiday Inn

One of the Tri-Cities’ most well-known hotels is shedding the name it’s had for decades and transforming into a Holiday Inn.

The former Red Lion Hanford House has reopened for guests after a yearlong, $10 million renovation.

The hotel will formally open as the Holiday Inn Richland on the River by the first week in October, local developer Gurbir Sandhu told the Herald.

The hotel on busy George Washington Way will no longer bear the moniker “Hanford House.”

Hanford House Hospitality LLC, led by Sandhu, bought the 149-room Red Lion two years ago for $7.5 million.

Sandhu is a manager with Ignite Hotels, which also manages the Red Lion in Kennewick, among other hotels across the Northwest.

The Hanford House was built in 1970 and sits between John Dam Plaza and the Columbia River at 802 George Washington Way. It took over the former site of the Desert Inn on 804 George Washington Way, which was torn down in 1968.

It provides a convenient central location to Hanford and is walking distance to the Federal Building on Jadwin Avenue, as well as Howard Amon Park. It’s also near The Parkway and Columbia Point where a growing number of restaurants have opened.

With nine meeting rooms totaling 10,000 square feet, it has long remained a popular location to hold conferences. The largest space can hold up to 350.

While the historic Hanford House name is ingrained in the collective memory of longtime Tri-Citians, Sundhu noted people from outside the area don’t know that name.

In what will be the only full-service hotel in Tri-Cities, said Sandhu, the main demographic will be government employees, corporate travelers, as well as sports teams and those attending conferences. Those parties are typically from out of the area.

However, the legacy of Hanford House will be honored through the naming of one of the conference rooms.

Availability

Sandhu said that the pet-friendly hotel is accepting bookings for events and offering a very lenient cancellation policy given the pandemic is drawing out.

While the hotel’s seasonal pool and hot tub and fitness center are closed because of COVID, he said that the large outside courtyard is available for meetings.

The Tri-Cities has two Holiday Inn Express hotels but this will be the only Holiday Inn — although the former M Hotel in Richland, which recently was converted to a Best Western, was once a Holiday Inn.

According to Visit Tri-Cities there are nearly 4,200 rooms and more than 40 lodging facilities, including hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts.

Several more hotels have opened in the past several months and more are being built that will add 300 more rooms throughout Tri-Cities.

In 2018, the Tri-Cities hosted 212 conventions, sports, and group activities worth more than $38.1 million in direct spending; bringing 127,931 people to meetings, tournaments, and group events, says Visit Tri-Cities.

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This story was originally published September 5, 2020 at 2:30 PM.