SHEFFIELD — Emerald River, the 200-room hotel that began as a Holiday Inn, has been purchased by Das Red, a limited partnership that operates several hotels in Washington and Oregon, according to the hotel's new general manager, Phil Pezzuto.

"Our immediate plans are to go before the board of a major franchise on Dec. 14 with a property improvement plan," Pezzuto said.

He did not disclose the name of the hotel chain, but said the owners' goal is to renovate the rooms, common area, restaurant, banquet facilities and exterior, and become affiliated with a major hotel chain.

One of the partners in Das Red is Al Patel, chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the largest hotel association in the world, Pezzuto said.

Pezzuto said he came out of retirement to assist Patel in the project.

Major hotel chains dictate what renovations must be made before a hotel can bear their name.

"They're called brand standards," Pezzuto said. "We have to meet those brand standards."