Hilton name removed from UTMC campus site

A shuttle van bears the vestiges of the former Hilton Toledo at the University of Toledo Medical Center. The campus lodging has been renamed The Hotel at UTMC after Hilton ended its affiliation.

THE BLADE/LORI KING
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A shuttle van bears the vestiges of the former Hilton Toledo at the University of Toledo Medical Center. The campus lodging has been renamed The Hotel at UTMC after Hilton ended its affiliation.

The former Hilton Hotel on the campus of the University of Toledo Medical Center has a new name: The Hotel at UTMC.

A Hilton logo sign is removed from The Hotel, formerly known as the Hilton.

The Hilton signs were removed and temporary signs with the new nameplate went up on the building and entrances to the campus, the former Medical College of Ohio, nearly four weeks after Hilton Hotels dropped the property from the company chain.

Larry Burns, UT's vice president of external affairs, said the university collaborated with the owners in renaming the property. The Hotel at the UTMC was chosen, he said, because of the property's location and the simplicity of the name.

Mr. Burns said it’s in the best interest of the university to work with the hotel owner, Grace Chojnowski-Kellogg.

"We are working with the current owners on this," he said "Because it is on our property and because of the location within the university, we are always interested in its well-being."

On Jan. 3, three days after it was dropped from the chain, Mrs. Chojnowski-Kellogg said a deal was in the works to sell the 210-room hotel to a buyer who has extensive experience in owning and managing hotels, including Hilton properties.

Her husband, Greg Kellogg, said in an earlier interview that discussions were under way to change brands to DoubleTree, also a Hilton-controlled property.

Mrs. Chojnowski-Kellogg, who has owned the hotel since 2007, and her husband couldn't be reached for comment.

Mr. Burns referred questions about a potential change to the owners.

"I don't know of anything right now," he said. We are not the owners. We are certainly respectful of whatever they are trying to do."

Mrs. Chojnowski-Kellogg's son, Derek Chojnowski, who is the hotel's general manager, declined to comment about the name or progress on a sale.

However, an employee confirmed the name change over the phone and said the hotel was changing to DoubleTree.

Mr. Burns said the university and the hotel owners are sharing the expenses of changing the signs.

Contact Mark Reiter at: mreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.