Mitzi Eaker
The 11-month renovation included gutting bathrooms, replacing tile, painting rooms and hallways and replacing carpet and furniture.
And we’re not talking about a splash of paint and new rugs here. This is about gutting bathrooms, replacing tile, painting all the rooms and hallways, replacing carpet and furniture, and spiffing up whatever else it takes to make guests feel welcome, relaxed, and comfortable in their surroundings.
“It’s been quite a bit,” Shoultz said. But a mere 11 months after the project began in March 2025, the finishing touches, including a facelift to the lobby, were in progress, proving that he and his staff were up to the challenge. The key, he explained, was a matter of eating the proverbial elephant one bite at a time.
“We tried to limit the work to one floor,” he said. “We started on the top floor, which is the ninth floor, and put that one out of order. Then we worked through the renovations on that floor until we got to the inspection part. That’s when the construction guys would move on to the next floor, so they weren’t just waiting around.”
Though the system didn’t always go exactly as planned – an inspection might be delayed, for example, which would put two floors out of order for a while. But the floor-by-floor method was generally the most efficient way to avoid interruptions of business.
There was one exception to the “no closures” mandate, however: the ballroom.
Mitzi Eaker
The 11-month renovation included gutting bathrooms, replacing tile, painting rooms and hallways and replacing carpet and furniture.
“When we did the ballroom, we had to close the meeting space for about a month and a half, which was bad because we always have a lot of meetings there,” Shoultz said. “But that’s our biggest space. When it’s open completely, it’s between 9,000 and 10,000 square feet, and we have some smaller meeting rooms in addition to that. Embassy Suites hotels often have meeting space, but they don’t usually have as much as we do.”
Now with new chandeliers, wall vinyl, carpet, and furniture, the ballroom is ready to host almost any occasion in style. The space can still be divided into different sizes, depending on the size of a meeting, and multiple meetings can take place at a time. The ballroom without dividers has a seating capacity of around 800 people.
The renovation, said Shoultz, came about in compliance with Hilton’s renovation cycle for its franchise hotels.
“Every seven years, we change out things that can be easily replaced like furniture, mattresses, things like that,” he said. Then every 15 years, we do a full renovation, like the one we’ve done over the past year. We opened in March of 2010, so it was time.”
Mitzi Eaker
The newly renovated ballroom is Embassy Suites' largest space, with more than 9,000 square feet that can seat around 800 guests.
But a project of this magnitude didn’t happen without careful planning.
“Our owner and our management group had the foresight to do what they call a PIP, or a property improvement planner, where someone with Hilton comes out, walks the property and looks at what needs to be changed or updated,” Shoultz explained.
Once a report is generated from that visit, the planning team reviews it and determines exactly what needs to be done. After that, the work begins.
“It’s nice to have it done because it’s great for the employees to have a product that fits the amount of effort that they put into their jobs,” said Shoultz. “Our employees are so good at making guests feel comfortable during their stays, but it also helps to have a nice new product to work with.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “it’s all about taking care of our guests and hoping they feel that what they’re paying to stay with us is worth it.”
Embassy Suites Hilton Birmingham Hoover is conveniently located at 2960 John Hawkins Pkwy., across from the Riverchase Galleria. Rates include free cooked-to-order breakfast and a complimentary evening reception.