By JIM BUTLER

A decade ago skeptics wondered about Alexandria staying in the hotel business.

Their concerns, it turns out, missed the mark.

The city’s 10-year association with a hotel management group that assumed oversight of what was then Alexander Fulton Hotel is ending with what is now Holiday inn Downtown’s sale.

According to Mayor Jacque Roy, who rolled the hotel dice in a previous term, part of the new deal is a 15-year commitment to retaining the Holiday Inn flag, among the most recognizable brands in the hospitality industry.

The hotel, opened as a Hilton in the 1980s, was renamed after Alexandria’s founder when the city took it over.

When the expiring deal was reached in 2014, the Hotel Bentley was on the cusp of reopening under a new owner.

The availability of both and the Randolph Riverfront Center sparked a revitalization of the city convention and meetings business.