June 10–A new brand name is now displayed over the entrance of a longtime Rochester hotel as the latest move in the very active local hotel market.
The former Best Western Soldiers Field hotel at 401 Sixth St. S.W. officially became Centerstone Plaza Hotel Soldiers Field on June 1. While the name is different, guests and diners at the popular Twigs Tavern & Grille won’t see a lot of dramatic changes at this point.
Myron Salz has owned the 214-room hotel since 1999. The staff remains the same under the new name, as do amenities like the pool, shuttle service, banquet space and extended-stay suites.
However, the hotel did recently undergo a $500,000 upgrade of its exterior and room improvements such as new flat-screen televisions and granite countertops.
The switch seems to have been driven by the flexibility offered by Centerstone.
“We chose Centerstone because we wanted a brand that was new, exciting and fresh. We needed a brand that would be more of a partner and fit who we are and would allow us to have a voice in how to better serve our guests,” said Salz in the announcement of the change. “We believe it is essential that we are not a one size fits all kind of hotel. It has always been our priority to customize our specific amenities and services to our guests, such as Mayo Clinic, sports teams, corporate visitors, etc.”
Centerstone is owned by Vimana Franchise Systems of Birmingham, Ala. It has about 40 hotels under the Centerstone and Key West names.
Amanda Belmonte, Vimana’s vice president of brand management, describes Centerstone as “a franchise-friendly brand.”
“This branding opens it up for hotel owners to have a little more freedom to best target their local market,” she said.
A grand opening ceremony is slated to take place this evening.
“This property is a great example of what the Centerstone Plaza tier is all about. We are very excited to bring in this premier property with such a phenomenal location next to Soldiers Field and the Mayo Clinic,” said Steven Belmonte, CEO of Vimana Franchise Systems.
The Plaza tier is the highest of the three types of Centerstone properties. A Plaza provides service and amenities in the 3 to 4 Diamond hotel range.
“This property is a great example of what the Centerstone Plaza tier is all about. We are very excited to bring in this premier property with such a phenomenal location next to Soldiers Field and the Mayo Clinic,” said Steven Belmonte, CEO of Vimana Franchise Systems.
