City interested in hosting college football title game
Indiana Sports Corp. officials who attended the first College Football Playoff Championship Game said they’d love to host the game at Lucas Oil Stadium under the right conditions.
Tourism & Hospitality
Articles
Indianapolis Zoo has record year at turnstiles
The Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center opened in May and brought in huge summer crowds, including 232,564 visitors in July alone.
Trailblazing hotelier eyes Indy for new lodging concept
Jack DeBoer, a Kansas-based businessman known as the creator of the extended-stay hotel, is bringing his hotel/apartment hybrid to Indianapolis.
Hotels to offer free Wi-Fi but tighten cancellation policies
The big chains, those mega-hotels that cater to business travelers during the week, are finally following suit of the budget, side-of-the-road properties and offering free Internet.
As new hotel plans emerge, existing operators fret
During the second half of 2014, developers announced that four new hotels would open over the next two to three years—a time the city’s convention schedule is looking light.
Southwest to add nonstop service to LA, Boston
Southwest will depart Indianapolis International Airport for Los Angeles once daily, and there will be two flights every day to Boston, the airline announced Wednesday.
Museum of Art admission jumping from free to $18
The Indianapolis Museum of Art, which hasn’t charged an admission fee since 2007, will begin charging adults $18 for entry to the museum and gardens starting in April, the IMA announced Friday.
State adds torch relay to bicentennial celebration
Indiana will host a torch relay across the state as part of its 200th birthday celebration in 2016.
Visit Indy negotiating to keep huge auto show until 2021
Three years ago, a long-term deal to keep the PRI Show in Indianapolis would have been almost unimaginable. The event with a $45.6 million annual economic impact now could be a fixture.
Indianapolis monument needs more repair work
Scaffolding is going to remain up months longer than first thought to complete repairs to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis.
Sports complex developer confirms financing woes
A developer that planned to open a $22 million hotel and indoor sports complex in Greenwood has officially suspended those plans after failing to find funding.
Indy hospitality chief: “We’re at tipping point on taxes.”
In September 2013, veteran lobbyist Patrick Tamm became president of the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association, replacing longtime industry advocate John Livengood. Tamm’s hire came eight months after IRLA was formed by merging the Indiana Hotel & Lodging Association and the Indiana Restaurant Association, both of which Livengood served as president since 1998.
New hotels to arrive in downtown Indy just as visitor traffic slows
For the past 15 years, downtown hotel developers have moved masterfully in lock-step with demand. But with Indianapolis’ convention business showing signs of slowing in 2015 and 2016—right about the time three new hotels are scheduled to open—that streak might crash to a halt.
TripAdvisor is new powerhouse in hospitality industry
The travel website TripAdvisor has seen such an explosion of consumer-generated reviews and page views in the last two years that local hoteliers now monitor it continually.
Hilton North closure to cost 46 employees their jobs
Community Health Network Foundation is closing the hotel in December to create room for more hospital development.
New Hilton brand coming to downtown’s Illinois Building
A Canopy by Hilton will occupy the historic building just a block from Monument Circle as part of chain’s launch of the new brand in 11 cities.
Cambria hotel in works near Westfield’s Grand Park
A Cleveland-based development group intends to build a $17 million, 150-room Cambria Suites hotel along 186th Street across from Westfield’s burgeoning youth-sports complex.
Developer seeks tax break for downtown hotel project
Developers planning a new Home2 Suites by Hilton in downtown Indianapolis are asking the city for a property-tax break on the project that could save them more than $650,000.
Nude photo scandal boosts local startup’s web traffic
Indianapolis-based event-planning website Snappening.com saw traffic surge this weekend, apparently from web browsers looking for nude photos.
Not your typical corporate retreat spots
You know the drill—find a place where a contingent from your organization can fall back and talk about something important. (Or unimportant.)