No headline

The Averill family has expanded its group of lodging establishments with the purchase of a Missoula hotel.

Edgewater Partners, which includes the Averill family, Dieter Huckestein and the Farran Group, Tuesday announced the purchase of the DoubleTree Hotel Missoula. Edgewater took ownership on Dec. 9.

Operations of the hotel will be overseen by AH Management Company, a newly formed partnership between Dan, Sean and Brian Averill and Huckestein, who served for 10 years on the board of directors of the Hilton Hotels Corporation.

“We are proud to be associated with the DoubleTree Edgewater and work with the staff, many of whom have committed over 20 years of service to the property,” Brian Averill said in a press release.

This adds to the list of hotels operated by the Averill family, including The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, the Firebrand Hotel in downtown Whitefish and The Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork. The Lodge at Whitefish Lake is the only lodging facility in the state to receive the AAA Four-Diamond award.

Edgewater Partners also announced its plans for a fourth hotel and regional conference center in Missoula.

The DoubleTree will continue to operate under its current name, according to the release. AH Management Company plans an extensive remodel to modernize the facilities, services and amenities and incorporate a regional flare. Renovations are expected to include the hotel rooms, conference and event venues, new retail and an expansion of the restaurant, according to Edgewater Partners.

Huckstein is the chairman and CEO of Hotel and Procurement Services, LLC, and served as chairman and CEO of Conrad Hotels, a luxury brand in the Hilton Hotel family, and as president of Hilton Global Alliance.

The DoubleTree has been a part of Missoula since the 1970s. It sits on the Clark Fork River across from the University of Montana.

The Averill family got its start in hospitality in the 1940s when Les Averill created The Flathead Lake Lodge. Brian Averill, grandson of Les, continues the hospitality tradition as he manages the family’s two properties in Whitefish.