Convention Centers Plan to Add Hotels

For tradeshows and events, the option of having a headquarters hotel near a convention center can be a major factor in choosing a city. And now planners looking for that option have a few more locations to look at as officials in several cities begin to make plans.

One of the projects making headlines is the deal between Washington, D.C., and Marriott Intl. for a headquarters hotel just west of the Washington Convention Center.

"This is going to be a fantastic project that will put us in position to remain a leading destination for large-scale national and international conventions and meetings," said Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty.

The agreement calls for Marriott to build the hotel on a two-acre site currently controlled by the Washington Convention Center Authority and a developer. The district will lease the site to Marriott for 99 years, and the hotel chain will build and operate the hotel, according to a news release from the district.

The hotel, with 1,150 rooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting space, will be built in compliance with D.C.'s green building standards.

In Toronto, the board of governors that runs Exhibition Place recently entered into exclusive negotiations with HKHotels for the development, construction and management of an on-site, privately financed convention hotel.

"The proposal from HKHotels demonstrated a well-thought-out urban master plan for the hotel site," said Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, also chairman of the Exhibition Place board. "It combines the needs and quality of a convention-style hotel, with environmental sensitivity and spectacular design features that will complement the existing buildings on the grounds."

HKHotels operates four boutique hotels in New York City and a resort hotel in Prague. The plan for the new hotel includes qualifying for the silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Danat Hotels and Resorts also recently announced that it will undertake a development at Capital Centre in Abu Dhabi, a residential micro-city being constructed around the Abu Dhabi Natl. Exhibition Centre.

"This development will add value to the meetings, incentives, conventions and events industry's development in Abu Dhabi, and we are confident that our plans for this prime plot will exceed expectations," said Abdulla Khalfan Matar Al Romaithi, managing director of the Natl. Corp. for Tourism & Hotels.

The project will be located on a 10,360 square meter (111,514 sq. ft.) plot.