Baldwin Park : Hotel Becomes a Marriott

The former San Gabriel Valley Hilton hotel--Baldwin Park’s pink-and-peach flagship development along the San Bernardino Freeway--has become a Marriott, a move owners hope will result in more reservations.

On Dec. 1, the Hilton signs were removed and replaced with the Marriott logo. The property is still managed by Outrigger Lodging Services, which was hired by the hotel’s owners, SWG BP Associates Ltd., in September.

Bill Munro, Outrigger’s vice president of operations, said the hotel’s franchise agreement with Hilton was canceled in hopes of getting better reservation services from Marriott, which operates 252 properties worldwide.

Since it was built five years ago, the hotel has had financial problems stemming from low occupancy and high debt payments.

The hotel’s occupancy rate is running about 65%, roughly the average for the San Gabriel Valley, hotel officials said. The nearest Marriotts in the region are in Ontario, Fullerton, Woodland Hills and at the Los Angeles International Airport.