Design for Baltimore CC Hotel Approved

Baltimore officials have received design plan approval for the Baltimore Convention Center headquarters hotel.

The city's Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel on Dec. 22 gave the go-ahead for the site plan and exterior building materials for the Hilton Baltimore, a city-owned, 756-room hotel on five acres just west of the downtown center.

The hotel, designed by architecture firm RTKL Associates' Baltimore office, will also offer 62,000 square feet of meeting space.

Irene Van Sant, the hotel's project manager, said she expects the city to issue tax-exempt revenue bonds to finance the $305 million hotel by the end of January.

Construction will begin as early as February, with the opening anticipated for summer 2008.

Van Sant said the hotel represents a substantial benefit to the convention center, especially since many Baltimore hotels already have plenty of non-convention business.

"Baltimore has a very strong and healthy hotel market. Our hotels don't need the convention business. They're not willing to give the room blocks," she said. "We believe (the hotel) will help us pick up some of that business that we've been losing to cities that do have headquarters hotels."

Six hundred of the hotel's rooms will be available for room blocks, Van Sant said.

Cygnus Expositions' Robert Brice, show manager of the Baltimore-based Firehouse Expo, said the hotel "is going to be very beneficial."

Participants of the show, scheduled July 25–30 at the center this year, occupy nearly 6,000 room nights annually within the city's downtown Inner Harbor area.

"Any more inventory in the Inner Harbor is going to be good for us. We hate to have people stay out further than the Inner Harbor."

Brice added, "We look forward to any extra meeting space."

Steve Varraso, M¦C Communications group show director, is also eager to use the hotel's meeting space.

The firm's Pri-Med Mid-Atlantic, scheduled Nov. 30–Dec. 2 at the center, is "fairly meeting-room intensive," Varraso said. "I think that will definitely help out."

An enclosed bridge connecting the 19-story hotel and convention center will also be constructed.

The city-owned convention center was constructed in 1979. Following a $151 million expansion in 1996, it currently offers 300,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and 121,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.