Charleston’s Francis Marion Hotel is taking on a national name.

The 226-room hotel on Marion Square will join Westin Hotels & Resorts on Thursday and will be renamed The Westin Francis Marion, according to an announcement dated Wednesday.

Westin will provide sales, marketing and reservations support under a 10-year license agreement with FMH L.P., the local limited partnership that owns the hotel. The partnership, led by P. Steven Dopp and Gregory R. Lenox, restored the hotel in 1995 and 1996 at a cost of $12 million, the announcement said.

The hotel’s management will not change. CapStar Hotel Co., based in Washington, D.C., will continue to run the property, which will operate as a Westin franchise.

“The Westin affiliation and additional renovations will position the hotel to prosper in a competitive hotel market over the next 10 years,” Dopp said in the announcement.

A second round of work

The owners decided in 1997 to upgrade the hotel again and recently finished a second renovation that cost $2 million, according to the announcement. BB&T of South Carolina financed the work.

In the public areas, the owners added a lobby bar and a business center, remodeled the front desk and upgraded the elevators. Every guest bathroom was remodeled with marble floors and tub surrounds, new brass fixtures and pedestal sinks. Guest rooms received electronic door locks, remote thermostats, coffee makers and more artwork.

The 1996 restoration was named one of 14 national historic preservation success stories by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the announcement said. The hotel joined the trust’s Historic Hotels of America program in 1997, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What Westin brings

Westin’s flag flies over more than 110 hotels in 23 countries, according to the announcement. The chain is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Westin was rated No. 1 in the upscale sector of Business Travel News’ 1997 Top U.S. Hotel Chain Survey, its fourth straight year at the top, the announcement said. It also ranked first in overall guest satisfaction among 11 upscale hotel chains in the first Frequent Flyer/J.D. Power and Associates Hotel Guest Satisfaction Survey.

“We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to expand our presence in the southeastern United States and historic Charleston in particular and welcome The Francis Marion Hotel to the Westin family,” said Norman MacLeod, executive vice president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

The Charleston property joins Westin’s historic collection, which includes The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, which dates to 1904, and The Westin William Penn in Pittsburgh, which dates to 1916.

Dopp said the brand should help the hotel’s bottom line.

“The strength of the Westin brand and reservation system will enable us to increase both occupancy and average rate thereby increasing the value of this unique asset,” he said.

General Manager Adrian Wewers expects the change to draw notice from travelers. “The Westin name will bring tremendous recognition to the hotel,” he said.

A 1924 landmark

The hotel was built in 1924 in the heart of Charleston’s historic district, according to the announcement. It has 14,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, including two historic ballrooms, the Gold Room and the Colonial Room, each of which can hold up to 350 people. Six more rooms are equipped for meetings.

The lobby connects to the College of Charleston’s Lightsey Conference Center, which adds 12,000 square feet of meeting space.

Guests can eat at Elliott’s on the Square, a casual restaurant with an Art Deco atmosphere. The building also houses Spa Adagio, Port City Java Cafe, The Gift Box, Tidwell Art Gallery and a fitness center.

Counting on Marion Square

The owners are also counting on a makeover of the park the hotel overlooks. Dopp said the city’s work on the square should be done within two years.

“With the $4 million renovation of Marion Square by the City of Charleston scheduled for completion within the next two years, we are truly excited about the future of The Westin Francis Marion over the long term,” he said.