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Hotel gets Grand new moniker Former Mark Antony slated to reopen in May By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- Along with its new look, the Mark Antony will earn a new name: the Ashland Grand Hotel. "It's not like the Mark Antony was a successful entity," said owner Doug Neuman. "The name wasn't worth keeping -- and it isn't in keeping with what we are creating with the hotel." The Mark Antony was built in 1925. At the time, it was called the Lithia Springs Hotel and was the tallest building between San Francisco and Portland. But shortly after the hotel was built, the railroad changed its route from Ashland to Klamath Falls, and the flow of tourists who had been coming here dried up. Numerous hotel sales and bankruptcies followed. Neuman hopes his renovation -- which may total $10 million -- will bring back the original elegance of the hotel and change its luck. Workers are continuing to demolish parts of the hotel in preparation for the reconstruction. Walls have been knocked out so small, den-like rooms will become spacious suites. The place will have a British colonial, "Out of Africa" feel with painted custom furniture and hand-painted lamp shades in each room. Breakfast will be served to guests each morning, most likely in a grand lobby with Oriental rugs on the floors and palms and ferns reaching up to the ceiling. The hotel is slated to open in May. Rooms will be in the $80 to $150 range. Neuman already is taking reservations for late June. At first, Neuman wanted to rename the Mark the Lithia Springs Hotel. But at the edge of town there's already a Lithia Springs Inn. Neuman was concerned that people wanting to stay in his hotel would end up at the wrong place. "It would have been very confusing," he said. "It was just unacceptable." So he and his wife, Becky, started thinking about other options. Eventually, they checked 30 names to see whether they'd already been used. One the Neumans considered strongly was the Ashland Grande. But then they decided people might start thinking about large tacos. Becky Neuman said she can't remember who came up with the final name first, but it just seemed they hit upon the right thing with the Ashland Grand Hotel. They wanted something that speaks to what Ashland is really about and gives the hotel its place within that universe. "The Ashland Grand Hotel will be easy for people to remember," Doug Neuman added. "It's right in downtown." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA