July 27, 2005
A proposal to build what would be the
country's tallest buildling -- with a rooftop spire poking past the
2,000-foot mark -- will be revealed later this week in Chicago.
Architect Santiago Calatrava and developer Christopher T. Carley of
the Fordham Co. envision a 115-story building that would include a
20-story hotel and 200 to 250 luxury condos near Navy Pier. A
conceptual sketch posted on the Chicago Tribune website shows the
building twisting into the air like a drill bit.
Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts will
manage a new 179-room property in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock area.
The property, part of a mixed-use complex that also includes
office, residential, retail and entertainment facilities, will open
in December 2006.
The city of Roseville, Calif., about 20 miles northeast of
Sacramento, agreed to give a $10 million loan to a development
project that will include a 35,000-square-foot conference center, a
250-room Embassy Suites and most likely a second, full-service
luxury hotel within a decade.
The 397-room Holiday Inn Select Niagara
Falls (N.Y.) has been sold. It will be converted to a Crowne Plaza
hotel, to be managed by Sentry Hospitality, which also runs the
nearby Conference Center Niagara Falls.
The 755-room Sheraton Maria Isabel
Hotel & Towers, in Mexico City's Zona Rosa business district,
will finish renovating its 24 meeting rooms on Aug. 1. Able to host
up to 2,000 people, the meeting space has new carpeting, lighting,
air conditioning and audiovisual and translation equipment.
Wireless Internet access will be installed throughout the property
by Sept. 1.