A grand entrance for the JW

Someone asked a while back what the JW Marriott convention hotel will look like along West Street. I had a chance today to ask Mike Wells of developer REI Investments. He said the hotel will feature a three-story “podium” level covered in glass along West Street. It will form the hotel’s main entrance. The north end of the lobby will feature an exhibition kitchen with a two-story, glassed-in wine cellar. Another restaurant will occupy the south end of the lobby, with a check-in desk and a grand staircase in the middle. “It’s going to be astounding,” Wells said. Unfortunately, the developers don’t yet have a rendering that shows the entrance up close. You’ll have to use your imagination for now. They hope to begin construction in October. Other renderings are here.