The Hendricks County Convention and Visitors Bureau said Monday that it is asking for proposals to develop a full-service convention hotel on up to 18 acres in Plainfield at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Highway 267.
A little more than six months before the 2010 NCAA men’s Final Four is set to tip off at Lucas Oil Stadium, the NCAA
has not yet finalized a rental deal for the facility. While officials for the NCAA and Local Organizing Committee,
the group charged with operating the event in Indianapolis, downplay any problems, sports business experts say it is unusual
not to have an agreement pinned down in the months leading up to the event.
The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association is so desperate for more marketing funding, the organization charged
with promoting the city as a convention and tourism destination is considering taking out a loan. While that
would be the last resort, ICVA CEO Don Welsh said it is one he will have to consider if the money can’t be raised through
local taxes.
The Adam’s Mark Hotel Indianapolis has become the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel.
The City-County Council voted 15-14 last night to approve raising the local hotel tax from 9 percent to 10 percent in a move
intended to help the cash-strapped Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board close a $47 million operating deficit.
While the local hotel industry is being rocked by the current economy, budget hotels and those in the small towns surrounding
Indianapolis are actually seeing gains. Properties affected by the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and Big Ten Tournament
are among the losers.
Hotel occupancy rates are way down in Indianapolis, as they are elsewhere, but local operators and national analysts think
the city is in a good position to bounce back when the economy improves.
Plans are in the works for a wine bar called Tastings that would take the first-floor corner space at the Conrad Indianapolis.
The $1 million project would add an entrance to the luxury hotel at the northeast corner of Washington
and Illinois streets and include a total of 80 outdoor seats along both streets, in the shadow of the
Artsgarden.
The Marion County Capital Improvement Board’s bailout depends on the success of Indianapolis’ new downtown JW Marriott convention hotel.
Conrad Indianapolis has been recognized as the No. 1 U.S. hotel by Expedia Insiders’ Select List 2009.
Organizers of the inaugural World Class Driving Festival at the West Baden Springs Hotel Sept. 3-7 hope to put Indiana
on the map when it comes to exotic cars and potentially lucrative business opportunities surrounding the accompanying lifestyle.
Almost two years after opening, the Conrad Indianapolis hasn’t received a Mobil Travel Guide review, and its four-diamond
AAA ranking puts it on par with five other Indianapolis hotels–most of which target conventioneers and business travelers.
The city plans to hire an outside auditor in the next few months to review the books of the Conrad Indianapolis Hotel and
determine how its investment is performing. It’s a routine process, Mayor Bart Peterson said. But it’s one hotel-industry
experts say is overdue.
South-side developer J. Greg Allen is pitching a massive project along Pennsylvania Street downtown that includes hotel towers–one
28 stories, the other 17–to be built on property now used mainly for surface parking.
A prestigious, full-service hotel soon will complement Carmel’s booming office market along North Meridian Street. A Cincinnati
developer broke ground this month on a roughly $30 million Renaissance hotel with 263 rooms and 14,000 square feet of meeting
space.
The stately 12-story Canterbury Hotel could use a renovation, hospitality analysts say, to restore some luster and help it
take on more modern competitors. Such an overhaul might be on the way, along with new owners for the independent boutique
hotel at 123 S. Illinois St.
The Indianapolis Airport Authority has tapped Mansur Real Estate Services Inc. to develop a $50 million-plus Westin hotel
at the new midfield terminal. But the hotel’s final design may be one submitted by a former competitor, White Lodging Corp.
of South Bend.
For its first nine months, occupancy at the Conrad Indianapolis has lagged the downtown average. Rates have fallen as the
hotel tries to fill more rooms. Employees have worked behind the scenes to fix kinks.
Three developers are vying for the chance to build a four-story, 250- to 300-room hotel connected to the new $974 million midfield terminal and garage at the Indianapolis International Airport.
