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 In
1963 Hilton begins a massive renovation
program to modernize the Statler Hilton
and make it more compatible with other
Hilton hotels. The renovations begin with
the removal of the famous Statler Terrace
Room and Lounge Bar. These are replaced
with three new eateries, the Trophy Room,
Candlelight Room, and Surrey Room. They
are soon after renamed Beef Barron, Coffee
House, and Silver Dollar Buffet, respectively.
The
renovations continue along the ground
floor with the retail arcade getting a
modern treatment. The spacious lobbies
are cut down to one floor and redecorated
in the modern style. The new space on
the mezzanine is given over to meeting
rooms referred to as the Hilton Rooms.
The Cafe Rouge suffers a similar fate
with its ground floor space becoming Trader
Vic's, a Polynesian restaurant. Like the
lobby its upper space is turned into meeting
rooms. They are called the Statler Rooms.
The
renovations include the redecorating of
the guest room floors. The former sample
rooms on the 16th and 17th floors are
redone into the Hilton Towers, a 'hotel
within a hotel' concept. They offer superior
accommodations at a price. A VIP elevator
to these floors is installed.
The
renovations are successful in modernizing
the hotel but will not be enough to combat
looming dangers. By the late sixties hotels
nationwide are losing the valuable tourist
trade to new roadside motels. A declining
neighborhood only complicates matters.
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