Red Lion Hotels, Inc. (Specimen)

---

Business partners Tod McClaskey and Ed Pietz purchased the 89-room Thunderbird Motor Inn in Portland, Oregon in 1959, the first property in what was initially called Thunderbird-Red Lion Inns. In 1984 McClaskey and Pietz sold the chain—which, at the time, had 57 properties—to Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Company for a reported $600 million.

In 1996 the chain was acquired by Doubletree which rebranded most of the properties as Doubletree Hotels. At the time Doubletree merged with Promus Hotel Corporation in 1999, only 19 hotels retained the Red Lion name.

Red Lion Hotels was sold to WestCoast Hospitality by Hilton—which had previously acquired Promus—in 2001. By the time of the sale, the chain had rebounded to 42 hotels, 22 of which were franchises.

Seeking to revitalize some of its aging properties, in 2004 the company announced plans to sell 11 company-owned hotels to fund a $40 million "rejuvenation project" for the rest of the chain. The following year WestCoast Hospitality changed its name to Red Lion Hotels Corporation, part of its effort to emphasize a renewed focus on the Red Lion brand.


Close Up of Vignette




Certificate: Common Stock, specimen, late 1900’s

Printer: American Bank Note Company

Dimensions: 8” (h) x 12” (w)

State: OR-Oregon

Subject Matter: Hotels and Motels | Specimen Pieces

Vignette Topic(s): Allegorical Featured | Allegorical Angel | Globe Featured

Condition: No fold lines, punch hole cancels in the signature areas and body, very crisp.