Hotel renovation challenge: How to make rooms larger

Renovation of the Quality Inn hotel in Sparks involves one of the toughest tricks that a project architect can face figuring how to make existing hotel rooms larger without reducing the number of rooms that are available for customers.

The answer developed by WorthGroup, an architectural firm in Reno: Remove the sliding glass doors that opened onto balconies outside the hotel's 220 rooms, then close in the balconies.

The construction may not add a lot of space, says Jason Welker, a project manager with WorthGroup, but it's enough to allow for a bigger desk or a comfortable chair in the rooms.

The hotel renovation, which positions the property to be rebranded as a Holiday Inn, is scheduled for completion in early summer. Northern Sierra Construction of Washoe Valley is handling the exterior work, while an extensive interior renovation is overseen by Progressive Improvements.

The property at 55 E. Nugget Ave. near the intersection of McCarran Boulevard and Interstate 80 in Sparks dates from the early 1970s, Welker said.

But executives of Crescent Hotels & Resorts, the Virginia company that manages the hotel, noted that before they began the renovation, they believed the nine-story building was in good structural shape and well-located for conversion into a full-service hotel.

The hotel is owned by The Navnish Group of New York City, which also owns five other hotels in resort markets in Florida and Utah.

Crescent Group estimated the cost of the Quality Inn renovation and rebranding at $6 million before the work began.

Along with the engineering considerations involved with converting the balconies into floor space for the hotel rooms, Welker said a challenge to designers was creation of ADA-compliant bathrooms in rooms that were developed before access for people for disabilities was required.

City building officials in Sparks, Welker said, proved especially cooperative as the architectural firm and contractors planned the renovation.