May 2, 2004 By James Pletcher Jr. 4 min read

Trying to gut and refurbish 178 guest rooms, remodel the lobby, meeting rooms, restaurant and courtyard while remaining open for business was a challenge for the staff at the local Holiday Inn. And, while it may have had a few glitches, the hotel is completing its $3.5 million facelift, making the 1968-vintage facility essentially brand new.

“You’re probably getting tired of me using the word ‘new,” Dave Runco, general manager of the Holiday Inn Holidome and Conference Center, said during a brief tour.

Runco said this is the first major overhaul of the hotel, Owned by Crown American Hotels of Johnstown, since 1993.

“Everything is new. We have completely refurbished it from softwares (bedspreads, pillows, mattresses) to all new furniture, curtains, drapes and new bathrooms with marble vanities in all the guest rooms to painting and applying new vinyl, carpeting, tile flooring in the lobby and meeting rooms,’ he said.

Harrigan’s Restaurant and pub, inside the hotel, were also completely done over, from floor to antique-look faux metallic ceiling.

“At times it was difficult to minimize the impact on our guests. We tried to designate one wing for renovation at a time and keep our guests away from that wing. We also tried to communicate to them when they made reservations that we were undergoing renovation,’ he said.

The work took about a year, starting in April 2003.

“Representatives from Holiday Inn and the owner do a walk through typically before relicensing the property. We sign an agreement with Holiday Inn and there are certain requirements we must meet. Holiday Inn has a property improvement plan,’ he said.

How often a complete remake is done depends on the “occupancy and how long it’s been since the last renovation,’ he said.

Crown American has a corporate project manager and purchasing manager that handle the details. Denco, a company that specializes in hotel renovations, did the rooms while J&M Construction remodeled the lobby, courtyard, pool, restaurant, meeting rooms and other public areas.

Runco, who has been general manager at the Uniontown hotel since 1997 and is a 16-year veteran with Crown American, said George Conte Design of Greensburg did the interior design.

“We tried to create a pub-like atmosphere in the lounge, where we also took out a wall that separated it from the restaurant. That gives us the ability to have restaurant seating in the lounge when the restaurant is very busy and we can have seating in the restaurant when the lounge is busy,’ he said. The project also created a small, private alcove that can seat up to eight people near the restaurant entryway.

“We changed our menu two months ago and now have the ability to change it two or three times a year, for summer, winter and fall,’ he said.

“We also added an executive conference room with audio visual equipment and a table with seating for up to 14 people and added a meeting room for a total of about 1,300 more square feet.’

Workers installed new tile, carpeting, front desk, chandeliers, lighting package and other fixtures in the lobby.

“We can handle groups of up to 350 in our ballroom and up to 800 in our courtyard area,’ Runco said.

The 24-by-48-foot swimming pool, which ranges from three to nine feet deep, has new depth markets, another drain line and is getting a fresh coat of paint and fencing.

“We are replacing our miniature golf area with a jungle gym for kids,’ Runco said.

“Obviously, with the amount of money the owner is putting into this, it shows they are committed to Uniontown. This is also good news for the employees here to know the company has made that commitment,’ he said.

Holiday Inn employs from 85 to 110 workers, the number changing according to season.

The work also created jobs over the past 12 months for about 70 additional workers who did the renovations.

Runco said Crown contacted local social service agencies that took some of the old mattresses, beds and furnishings. “We also gave some to our employees and what was left we offered to the public,’ he said.

The Holiday Inn features a restaurant, lounge, flexible conference rooms, business services, heated indoor pool, sauna, whirlpool, electronic game room, billiards, outdoor volleyball, horseshoes and fitness room.

Crown American Hotels owns 27 hotels in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. All hotels are operated through franchise agreements with Inter-Continental Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Wyndham, Marriott and Starwood.

More information can be obtained by calling 724-437-2816.