Big San Jose hotel could be revamped and gain rooms through a remodeling

SAN JOSE — A big hotel in San Jose could be headed for a wide-ranging revamp that would create more rooms in the lodging complex and update an array of public spaces, including the lobby and restaurants.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Jose, a 505-room lodging in north San Jose, is in line for a major upgrade, according to documents on file with city planners.

The hotel is operated and managed by a unit of Hilton Worldwide, the famed lodging titan. The owner of the hotel property and the land beneath it is an affiliate of Park Hotel & Resorts, a real estate firm.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to evolve our hotel as well as the guest experience,” said Michelle Myers, a spokesperson for Hilton. “There are some preliminary discussions regarding hotel enhancements.”

The proposal is very preliminary and was filed primarily to gauge the reaction of city officials to the plans to renovate the hotel. As such, the final plans for the hotel could differ from what’s currently on file.

“Public areas of the hotel, including registration,. lobby, restaurant, bar, meeting spaces, fitness center, and concierge lounge” are slated to be part of the upgrade, according to the preliminary proposal.

The number of guest rooms would increase to 515, up from the current 505.

Multiple changes would occur in existing spaces to accommodate the proposed increase in the number if rooms.

Three existing meeting rooms and one boardroom would be converted to five guest rooms. The second-floor fitness center would be converted into three guest rooms. The 9th-floor presidential suite would be converted into a king suite and a junior suite, for a net increase of one room. A first-floor office would be converted to a guest room.

The nature of the renovations might provide some insight into the way hotel operators view the lodging sector in business- and tech-oriented markets such as Silicon Valley and the Bay Area in the wake of the coronavirus.

The economic upheaval unleashed by the coronavirus jolted the hotel market and shattered demand for lodging sites that catered to business meetings and conventions.

“This move speaks to how Hilton views demand for meeting space,” said Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality Group, which tracks the hotel sector in California. “It appears that they see this demand as diminished.”

The fitness center would be moved from the second floor to the first floor, according to the city plans.

The improvements to the guest rooms would be mainly new finishes and new plumbing fixtures in the bathrooms, the plans show.

“This is an interesting play,” Reay said. “A hotel of this size is typically focused on conventions and business meetings.”