Red Lion Aims To Acquire In Eastern U.S.

<H1>Red Lion Aims To Acquire In Eastern U.S.</H1><H3>by Linda Humphrey</H3>Headquarters: Vancouver, Wash.

Number of properties: 55

ADR: $81

Competition: Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott

Transient business travel: 40 percent

Meetings: 40 percent

Preferred agreements: Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, Macintosh

While East Coasters have yet to come across a Red Lion hotel-"my mother on Long Island still thinks I work for Red Roof Inns," said vice president of sales and marketing Jeff Angus-the 55-property chain plans to change that.

Dotting 10 states on the west side of the map, Red Lion is aiming to break into the eastern United States by acquiring another hotel company. "You won't see the 'Red Lion Copley Place' until we acquire a chain," Angus said. Red Lion was one of two final bidders on the Omni sale, Angus said, and a final bidder on the Westin sale.

Meanwhile, the chain plans to add 24 hotels within the next five years with equity raised from taking about 30 percent of the company public last July, Angus said. Red Lion will not, however, venture into franchising.

Target cities include San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City. Just last month, Red Lion took over the 290-room Sheraton Fiesta Hotel in San Antonio.