The battle on Saturday between Ohio State and Michigan State, plus ESPN broadcasts and special events downtown, are expected to have a $15 million economic impact on Indy. That’s a vast improvement over the 2012 championship.
Reeling from the recession, Bharat Patel hopes to protect the hotels from foreclosure. Their lender is owed as much as $120 million, according to court filings.
The four-star establishment plans to overhaul all 13 floors and 573 guest rooms, beginning in November, as its competitors trigger similar upgrades.
Indianapolis lacks a five-star hotel, a fact some hospitality experts think could hurt the city’s chances of landing the 2018 Super Bowl. But there’s no consensus on whether the city should go more upscale.
A ceremony was held Monday to mark the start of a $15.5 million expansion of the events center at the French Lick Resort in southern Indiana.
Indy joins Minneapolis and New Orleans as the three NFL cities invited to bid on the big game. The 2012 Super Bowl had a $176 million direct economic impact on the city, a study said.
In eight years with the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Executive Director Brenda Myers has morphed her organization into a developer, grant giver and landlord. The strategy appears to be working.
The historic downtown hotel’s new owner says the $9.5 million revamp and affiliation with an international brand are needed to compete with new high-end hotels in the Indy area.
Indianapolis officials hope to include plans for a new downtown luxury hotel in their bid for the 2018 Super Bowl, but they’re not sure all the pieces for a deal—potentially on Pan Am Plaza—can be put together before a bid presentation for 32 NFL owners in May.
Local businessman Turner Woodard had owned the upscale downtown hotel since 2010. Terms of the deal with Columbus, Ohio-based RockBridge Capital LLC, a hotel investment firm, were not disclosed.
The surprising growth corresponds with the recent expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, and an explosion in the popularity of The Food Network and chef-centric programming. But don’t expect to make a mint.
Downtown hoteliers are expecting a sellout this weekend, and ticket brokers are reporting a spike in ticket prices even though Indiana University is playing elsewhere.
Indianapolis has been eliminated as a candidate to host the 2016 U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium. USA Swimming told local leaders that the venue would be “challenging for creating an intimate swimming setting.”
Ticket brokers took a gut punch Sunday when NCAA officials announced that Indiana University would not be playing in the Midwest Regional of the men's basketball tournament. Local tourism officials say the economic impact could drop $1.5 million.
Indianapolis police are keeping an eye on downtown valets, whose habit of blocking traffic lanes has prompted complaints. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department issued a stern reminder to all valet operators on Jan. 31, the week after the opening of The Alexander Hotel in CityWay at Delaware and South streets.
Indiana’s hotels hosted more visitors last year, according to a survey by Hendersonville-based Smith Travel Research.
With the consolidation of the Indiana Hotel & Lodging Association and the Indiana Restaurant Association are complete, longtime association leader John Livengood will stepping down
Indianapolis’ hosting of the Super Bowl last February seems to be paying off for Visit Indy, which says the exposure the city received from the game is translating into more visitor interest.
Sixteen current and former Indianapolis hotel workers have settled their union-backed lawsuit that alleged employment violations by nine area hotels and Atlanta-based Hospitality Staffing Solutions, a subcontractor that employs many hotel workers.
People who come to Indianapolis for business, ball games or other reasons could pay more for their visits if local officials decide to raise taxes on car rentals and professional sports tickets early next year.
