Red Lion Hotels Corporation
A former American hospitality company that developed and franchised Red Lion and other hotel brands before being acquired by Sonesta in 2021.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Red Lion Hotels Corporation was an American hospitality company whose roots lay in a Spokane, Washington, property-management business established in 1937. The enterprise began under Frank M. Goodale and later became associated with Louis Barbieri, eventually operating as Goodale & Barbieri Companies. Its early activities centered on commercial real estate, property management, and development, with a housing business added in the 1970s. The company entered lodging in 1976, when it developed a hotel near Spokane's redeveloped riverfront in cooperation with Burlington Northern Railroad. It subsequently created the Cavanaughs hotel identity and expanded into related entertainment and ticketing activities. The business became a public company during a period of substantial corporate change. In preparation for its 1998 initial public offering, Goodale & Barbieri Companies adopted the name Cavanaughs Hospitality Corporation. The company acquired Seattle-based WestCoast Hotels in 2000 and changed its corporate identity to WestCoast Hospitality Corporation. This transaction expanded its regional hotel portfolio and encouraged a shift toward franchising. In 2001, the company acquired the Red Lion Hotels brand and associated properties from Hilton Hotels for approximately $51 million. The Red Lion name subsequently became the principal identity for much of the portfolio, and in 2005 the corporation adopted the name Red Lion Hotels Corporation and the ticker RLH. During the 2000s and 2010s, the company combined ownership, management, and franchising. Its hotel businesses covered upscale, midscale, and economy segments, while its brand family included full-service Red Lion Hotels, limited-service Red Lion Inn & Suites, and the Leo Hotel Collection for distinctive or historic properties. The company also introduced Hotel RL as an upscale conversion concept in 2014. Its 2015 purchase of GuestHouse International and Settle Inn & Suites from Boomerang Hotels expanded the portfolio from 57 to approximately 130 properties and added more than 5,000 rooms. The 2016 acquisition of Vantage Hospitality Group transformed Red Lion from a largely western regional operator into a national hotel franchising platform. Vantage brought brands and franchise relationships including Americas Best Value Inn, Canadas Best Value Inn, Lexington by Vantage, America's Best Inns and Suites, Country Hearth Inns, Jameson Inns, Signature Inn, and 3 Palms Hotels & Resorts. In 2017, Red Lion rationalized this portfolio, retaining selected brands and moving discontinued or reorganized properties into the Stays Inns Collection. The corporation also began using RLH Corporation as its public-facing identity and relocated its headquarters from Spokane to Denver to be nearer its expanded franchise network. Red Lion disposed of several non-core or legacy activities during this period. Its former real-estate management business was spun off in 2006 as Goodale & Barbieri Company, and its TicketsWest ticketing operation was sold to Paciolan in 2017. In 2018, Red Lion acquired the Knights Inn brand from Wyndham Worldwide for $27 million. The company was acquired by Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, with the transaction completed on March 17, 2021. Following that acquisition, Red Lion Hotels Corporation ceased to operate as an independent publicly traded company. Its historical brands, franchise agreements, and hotel assets became part of Sonesta's broader hospitality platform, although individual Red Lion-branded properties and related brand identities may continue under successor ownership or licensing arrangements.
History
Red Lion Hotels Corporation developed from a property-management operation established in Spokane, Washington, in 1937. The business was initially connected to Washington Trust Bank and led by Frank M. Goodale, who hired Louis Barbieri. Goodale purchased the operation in 1944, and Barbieri later became a partner before acquiring Goodale's interest in 1959. The enterprise retained the Goodale & Barbieri name while concentrating on commercial real estate, development, and property management. It entered housing in 1972. The company's first lodging project opened in 1976 near Spokane's riverfront. Developed with Burlington Northern Railroad on a former coal-storage site, the property marked the beginning of a hospitality division that later became a major part of the business. The Cavanaughs hotel brand was introduced in 1980. During this period, the company also diversified into event ticketing through G&B Select A Seat, later known as TicketsWest, and briefly operated Broadview Dairy after acquiring the Spokane company out of bankruptcy in 1991. The enterprise adopted the Cavanaughs Hospitality Corporation name before its 1998 initial public offering. In 2000, it acquired WestCoast Hotels of Seattle. The combined company became WestCoast Hospitality Corporation and began trading under the WEH ticker. The acquisition increased the geographic reach of the business and supported an expanded franchising strategy. In 2001, WestCoast Hospitality acquired the Red Lion Hotels brand and associated properties from Hilton Hotels. The transaction increased the portfolio to nearly 90 hotels and approximately 15,000 rooms, while extending the company's reach across much of the western United States. Many existing WestCoast properties were subsequently converted to the Red Lion name. In 2005, the corporation formally became Red Lion Hotels Corporation and changed its ticker to RLH. The company continued to reshape its portfolio during the following decade. It spun off G&B Real Estate Services in 2006, returning that business to the independent Goodale & Barbieri Company identity. In 2008, Columbia Pacific Opportunity Fund made an unsolicited proposal to acquire Red Lion, but withdrew it later that year. The episode included a temporary poison-pill arrangement adopted by the board in response to the acquisition pressure. Red Lion introduced Hotel RL in 2014 as an upscale conversion brand. In 2015 it purchased GuestHouse International and Settle Inn & Suites, increasing its hotel network substantially. The 2016 acquisition of Vantage Hospitality Group was even more consequential, adding a national franchise platform and a broad group of value and economy brands. In 2017, the company rationalized these brands, retained Americas Best Value Inn, Canadas Best Value Inn, Country Hearth Inn & Suites, and Signature Inn, and reorganized other properties under the Stays Inns Collection. It also adopted RLH Corporation as its principal public-facing name and moved its headquarters from Spokane to Denver. The company sold TicketsWest in 2017 and acquired Knights Inn from Wyndham Worldwide in 2018. By May 2018, reference material described the wider RLH platform as having approximately 90,000 rooms across more than 1,400 North American properties, although the figure covered a broad franchise and affiliated-property network rather than only company-owned hotels. Sonesta announced an acquisition of RLH Corporation in late 2020 and completed the transaction on March 17, 2021. Red Lion therefore ceased to exist as an independent public hospitality corporation, with its assets, brands, and franchise relationships absorbed into Sonesta's hotel platform.
- 2021
Acquisition by Sonesta completed
[1]Sonesta completed its acquisition of RLH Corporation, ending the company's independent corporate existence.
- 2018
Knights Inn acquired
[1]RLH Corporation acquired the Knights Inn brand from Wyndham Worldwide.
- 2017
Headquarters relocated to Denver
[1]RLH Corporation moved its headquarters from Spokane to Denver following the Vantage acquisition.
- 2016
Vantage Hospitality acquired
[1]The acquisition added a large national franchise network and several economy and value-oriented hotel brands.
- 2015
GuestHouse and Settle Inn acquired
[1]Red Lion purchased GuestHouse International and Settle Inn & Suites from Boomerang Hotels.
- 2014
Hotel RL introduced
[1]The company launched an upscale hotel conversion concept under the Hotel RL name.
- 2005
Corporate name changed to Red Lion Hotels Corporation
[1]The corporation adopted the Red Lion identity and changed its stock ticker to RLH.
- 2001
Red Lion brand acquired
[1]The Red Lion Hotels brand and related properties were acquired from Hilton Hotels.
- 2000
WestCoast Hotels acquired
[1]The company acquired WestCoast Hotels and changed its corporate name to WestCoast Hospitality Corporation.
- 1998
Initial public offering
[1]Cavanaughs Hospitality Corporation completed an IPO and began trading under the CVH ticker.
Products and positioning
A multi-brand hotel franchising and hospitality platform spanning upscale, midscale, upper-economy, economy, and lower-economy lodging.
Full-service hotels · 2001
Red Lion Hotels
The company's principal full-service hotel brand, generally associated with midscale lodging, restaurants, meeting facilities, banquet space, and amenities intended for both business and leisure travelers. Red Lion Hotels became the central identity of the corporation after the 2001 acquisition from Hilton and the subsequent conversion of many WestCoast properties.
Limited-service hotels
Red Lion Inn & Suites
A limited-service lodging concept designed for franchise owners seeking a more streamlined operating model than the full-service Red Lion Hotels format. The offering emphasized accommodation and essential guest services rather than the extensive restaurant, banquet, and meeting infrastructure associated with a full-service hotel.
Upscale hotels · 2014
Hotel RL
An upscale conversion brand introduced in 2014. Hotel RL was intended to provide a more contemporary and experience-oriented expression of the company's hospitality portfolio while allowing selected existing properties to be repositioned without relying exclusively on new construction.
Boutique and historic hotels · 2013
Leo Hotel Collection
A collection concept for distinctive, independent, boutique, or historic hotels. The model allowed properties with individual character to participate in the Red Lion franchise system without adopting the more standardized full-service or limited-service Red Lion formats.
Upper-economy hotels
GuestHouse International
An upper-economy lodging brand acquired from Boomerang Hotels in 2015. Following the later portfolio realignment, GuestHouse was positioned above the company's economy and lower-economy tiers and formed part of its effort to give franchisees a broader ladder of hotel concepts.
Economy hotels
Americas Best Value Inn
A value-oriented hotel franchise acquired through the Vantage Hospitality transaction. It served independently owned properties seeking national brand affiliation, reservation support, and a recognizable economy lodging identity.
Economy hotels
Canadas Best Value Inn
A Canadian value-oriented lodging brand added through the Vantage acquisition. It extended the company's franchising platform into Canada and complemented the United States-focused Americas Best Value Inn system.
Economy hotels
Country Hearth Inn & Suites
A hotel franchise brand retained after Red Lion's 2017 rationalization of the Vantage portfolio. It occupied an economy-oriented position within the company's multi-tier system and was intended for independently operated lodging properties.
Boutique and economy hotels
Signature Inn
A brand retained from the Vantage portfolio after the 2017 restructuring. Signature Inn was positioned as a distinct lodging concept within the company's smaller collection of continuing Vantage-derived brands.
Economy hotels
Knights Inn
An established economy hotel brand acquired from Wyndham Worldwide in 2018. The transaction gave RLH Corporation another recognizable budget lodging network and broadened its portfolio shortly before the company was acquired by Sonesta.
Hotel loyalty program
Hello Rewards
The company's loyalty program rewarded qualifying stays with Hello Bucks that could be applied to future stays without blackout dates. Program support was provided through a mobile application developed with Monscierge.
Brand decisions
2021
Complete acquisition by SonestaM&ABackground
RLH Corporation was being repositioned within a consolidating hotel industry and had developed a broad franchise portfolio through acquisitions.
Action taken
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation completed its acquisition of RLH Corporation on March 17, 2021.
Aftermath
RLH Corporation ceased to operate as an independent public company and became part of Sonesta's hospitality platform.
2018
Acquire Knights InnM&ABackground
RLH Corporation continued adding recognizable franchise brands to its economy lodging portfolio.
Action taken
The company agreed to acquire Knights Inn from Wyndham Worldwide, with the transaction closing on May 14, 2018.
Aftermath
Knights Inn expanded the company's budget lodging platform before its later acquisition by Sonesta.
Acquisition price. $27 million (2018)
2017
Rationalize the post-Vantage brand portfolioStrategyBackground
The Vantage acquisition created overlapping brand positions and a large number of concepts with uneven scale.
Action taken
RLH Corporation retired the Vantage name and several acquired brands, retained selected concepts, created the Stays Inns Collection, and divided the economy segment into upper-economy, economy, and lower-economy tiers.
Aftermath
The restructuring was intended to reduce market overlap and give franchisees clearer movement between brand tiers.
2016
Acquire Vantage Hospitality GroupM&ABackground
The company aimed to move from a primarily western regional operator toward a national hotel franchising platform.
Action taken
RLH Corporation acquired Vantage Hospitality Group and its portfolio of economy, value, boutique, and extended franchise brands.
Aftermath
The acquisition substantially increased geographic reach and required a later rationalization of overlapping brands.
2014
Launch Hotel RLProduct launchBackground
Red Lion wanted an upscale concept that could support the conversion and repositioning of selected properties.
Action taken
The company announced Hotel RL as a new upscale conversion brand.
Aftermath
Hotel RL became part of the company's expanded multi-segment brand portfolio.
2001
Acquire the Red Lion Hotels brand from HiltonM&ABackground
The company sought to expand beyond its regional WestCoast platform and establish a stronger, more recognizable hotel identity.
Action taken
It acquired the Red Lion Hotels brand and related properties from Hilton Hotels for approximately $51 million and subsequently converted many WestCoast properties to the Red Lion name.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded the portfolio to nearly 90 hotels and approximately 15,000 rooms and led to the later corporate name change to Red Lion Hotels Corporation.
Acquisition price. $51 million (2001)
Recent events
Sonesta completes acquisition of RLH Corporation[2]
Reported:
Sonesta announced that it completed its previously announced acquisition of RLH Corporation on March 17, 2021. Sonesta said the acquisition added more than 900 franchised locations to its global footprint of branded hotels.
Sources2 sources
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