Once considered a destination only eight months of the year, Indianapolis—with its compact downtown and indoor walkways—is
emerging as a convention powerhouse even during cold weather.
The Fairfield Inn & Suites on West Washington Street downtown will open Wednesday. The hotel is the first of four comprising
the 1,600-room Marriott Place project to welcome guests.
Conrad Indianapolis and West Baden Springs Hotel have been named to Condé Nast Traveler’s
Gold List 2010.
Groups that committed in 2009 to hold meetings in Indianapolis in future years booked a total of nearly 688,000 hotel-room
nights, a number that exceeded ICVA’s goal by 5 percent.
Two walkways that will connect to the new Marriott Place hotel will extend downtown’s network of skywalk and underground pedestrian
paths to a total of 12 hotels with more than 4,700 rooms–the most of any downtown in the United States.
At issue is a dispute pitting NFL players against owners, and owners against one another over how league
revenue should be divided. If it isn’t resolved, the 2011 season could be shortened, delayed or canceled.
The contest offers businesses a chance to promote something about themselves that might be of interest
to hotel guests in the area.
A symbolic topping-off ceremony early this month to celebrate a milestone on the massive JW Marriott hotel project can’t
hide the anxiety felt within the construction industry.
The show held in Indianapolis Dec. 3-4 is picking up speed much faster than event organizers and local
convention and tourism officials expected. But the nation’s biggest motorsports trade show, Performance
Racing Industry Show, is considering competing with the local show head-on in 2010.
The 34-story hotel, the city’s largest, is scheduled to open in 2011.
Hendricks County’s moves to entice a developer to build a conference hotel in Plainfield could further crimp plans
for
a
hotel attached to the new Indianapolis International Airport terminal.
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.
