It was about more than skinny venti longshot mocha frappacino action - though that was pretty good, too.
Prince George's Ramada Plaza Hotel added the whip to the top of the all-but-completed first part of its four-phase $7.5 million renovation with the opening of a new Starbucks coffee shop in the lobby.
The renovations reflect his firm's confidence in the current City Hall's commitment to a revitalized downtown Prince George, said Scott McPhail, chief operating officer of the Days Group of Companies, which is the hotel's parent firm.
"We have a lot of confidence in city council and the mayor who have run on making the downtown vital, vibrant and prosperous," said McPhail. "We feel very bullish on the future of this community."
McPhail said the first phase of the Ramada renovation - which involved the Starbucks, moving the tobacconist Shefield and Sons, and an extensive reworking of the lobby, including composition by Prince George's Versa: The Design Group - is done, apart from some minor tweaks.
Also featured at the afternoon event - which drew a contingent of municipal politicians and local dignitaries - was a preview of the hotel's phase two plans: the floor-by-floor redesign of 140 of the building's guest rooms.
The redesign features two kinds of rooms: standard rooms with two queen-sized beds and business executive rooms. McPhail said that phase is scheduled to be finished by the fall of 2010.
Phase three will remake the hotel's restaurant and lounge area, as well as changes to the front of the Ramada, while phase four will wrap up the project by renovating the remainder of the hotel's food/beverage space.
In addition to that work, McPhail said demolition of the P.G. Hotel across the street - slated to be turned into the Ramada's parking lot - is set to begin in the next 120 days.
