Local tourism, convention officials prepare for impact from coronavirus
Officials say no events have been canceled locally, but groups—including the NCAA and Visit Indy—are watching the news and weighing their options.
Officials say no events have been canceled locally, but groups—including the NCAA and Visit Indy—are watching the news and weighing their options.
The Carmel City Council on Monday voted to have its four-person finance committee look into what led to $18.5 million in cost overruns on the Hotel Carmichael project. It rejected a proposal have the entire council involved in the review.
The cost of the 122-room, city-backed hotel has swelled to $58.5 million, up from $40 million when the Carmel City Council green-lighted it two years ago. Some councilors have called for an audit to dig into the details.
Atlanta-based Peachtree Hotel Group bought the Hampton Inn by Hilton at 105 S. Meridian St. and a 50-car parking lot at 102 S. Pennsylvania St.
Sun Development & Management Co. originally planned to open the Tapestry hotel in the 12-story Jackson Square building where Ike & Jonesy’s had been located. But Sun now has plans to put a different brand in the building, with work starting within several months, and build the Tapestry across the street.
The project is expected to include a 127-room Hampton Inn and conference center, a national grocer, restaurants and retail space, and possibly senior housing and medical offices.
Original plans called for a 99,000-square-foot, seven-story building with 104 Moxy rooms and 102 AC Hotel rooms. The new plan includes 126 Moxy and 119 AC rooms in a structure of just more than 113,000 square feet.
Correspondence obtained by IBJ between town officials and the developer reveal a tug of war over information on the hotel’s status and a disagreement over whether the company has violated a project agreement.
Progress on the 126-room Wilshaw, at the southeast corner of Main and 16th streets, has been stalled since early July while Indianapolis-based developer Loftus Robinson awaits the release of its first loan installment to finance the project.
To expedite the top-to-bottom transformation, owner Ross Bailey plans to close the 3,500-square-foot establishment in the Conrad Indianapolis’ lobby for at least six weeks.
There was no shortage of huge news stories in central Indiana this year—with Roger Penske’s purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the launching of the Red Line and the closing of trucking giant Celadon.
After a 36-year run, the owners of the downtown nightlife institution say it will close after its New Year’s Eve party and a “Last Hurrah Celebration.”
The contest was only the second deemed to be a sellout by the Big Ten in the title game’s history. The other came in 2015 when Michigan State played Iowa in a battle that featured two teams ranked in the top five.
White Lodging pitched its plan last year for a complex including an event center, four hotels, an office building, condos, restaurants, a craft brewery and a 30,000-square-foot horse-riding arena.
The three hotels at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 465 have nearly 500 rooms between them. The largest, a Marriott that serves as an overflow hotel for big downtown events, is slated for a renovation that could run between $10 million and $20 million.
The addition—part of a $17 million expansion project—are adjacent to the resort’s Event Center and French Lick Casino.
Visit Indy, which isn’t involved in the Pan Am negotiations, is in “somewhat of a holding pattern until we have the exact details finalized and presented to us,” Vice President Chris Gahl said.
The IHPC voted unanimously to green-light construction plans for converting the King Cole building into a hotel, along with a new penthouse on the roof of the 11-story building suited for a restaurant or bar.
The Bruce and Beth White Family Foundation’s gift is expected to bring operational and academic support directly to 10 elementary and high schools in the Diocese of Gary, benefiting about 3,300 students.
If all of the plans move forward, downtown would see an unprecedented deluge of new rooms. But developers and lenders are fretting over whether the market can support them.