Anaheim Marriott Renovation Planned

New Anaheim Marriott owner Tarsadia Hotels said Thursday that it will spend $15 million over the next two years to renovate the 1,033-room convention hotel.

Costa Mesa-based Tarsadia now has 2,200 rooms in the Anaheim Convention Center/Disneyland area and more than 1,000 under development, plus additional holdings elsewhere in the Orange County, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.

Marriott International will continue to manage the Anaheim hotel, which Tarsadia bought for $75.2 million from Australia’s Lend Lease Corp. Tarsadia President Greg Casserly said a Convention Center expansion, to be completed by Christmas 2000, will “transform Anaheim from a primarily Disney theme park destination to a world-class convention center” competing with San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas.

B.U. Patel, who founded Tarsadia 24 years ago, said he wants to “develop a legacy of first-class hotels in the Anaheim area” to leave his sons Tushar, the company’s chairman, and Mike, a vice chairman.