The Holiday Inn sign may be visible at the Windward Passage Hotel, but the name change is not quite official yet.
General Manager Hamid Khanbashi says it will be about a month before the 30-year-old hotel receives its new designation.
Holiday Inn has completed 80 percent to 85 percent of its inspections of the downtown St. Thomas property, Khanbashi said.
Once it formally joins the international chain, the 151-room, full-service hotel will continue to be monitored through site inspections, including unannounced visits.
Khanbashi began his work at Windward Passage about three years ago, overseeing a complete renovation and upgrade after Hurricane Marilyn. He soon began looking for a name brand with which to affiliate because "what drives this business is great preference."
He said he likes Holiday Inn not only because of its reputation for quality service but because it has "the largest GDS (global distribution system) I know," with up to 70,000 travel agents tapping into the network.
