Aston Hotels and Resorts Hawaii was officially rebranded ResortQuest Hawaii yesterday.

ResortQuest Hawaii president Kelvin Bloom said the name change will allow Hawai'i operations to benefit from a unified national brand identity and that it's part of a national effort by parent company ResortQuest International to bring all local market names under a single master brand. ResortQuest is the largest U.S. manager of vacation rental properties.

"Though we've previously been a strong regional player, we are now moving into the strength of a national brand," Bloom said.

The company's 1,500 employees will remain at their properties, and ResortQuest Hawaii's headquarters will stay in Honolulu, Bloom said. He also said the company's programs — such as the preferred membership for corporate travelers, kama'aina and military discounts, and its children's program — will continue.

ResortQuest International bought Aston Hotels and Resorts Hawaii in 1998. ResortQuest was acquired in 2003 by Gaylord Entertainment Co., which also owns Gaylord Hotels and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.

Of the 28 hotels and condominium resorts the company manages in Hawai'i, three will retain the Aston brand: the Aston Coral Reef Hotel, the Aston Honolulu Prince and the Aston Maui Lu. They represent the company's budget properties, while the ResortQuest brand represents more mid-market to luxury level segments of the business, Bloom said.

He said the rebranding is a multimillion dollar national effort. He and other ResortQuest Hawaii officials will meet with several thousand travel agents, wholesalers and others on the Mainland this week and promote the new brand in Japan this fall. The company will be changing the signage at its properties through early next year, he said.

ResortQuest Hawaii also plans to promote the new brand locally by sponsoring several events through September, including Sunset on the Beach.