Midwest

CINCINNATI 

Local Update

• Columbia Sussex Corp. will spend $32.2 million to convert the historic Bartlett Building into a 312-room luxury hotel, the Renaissance Cincinnati Downtown Hotel. The new property, scheduled to open this month with coveted LEED Silver status, is just four blocks from the Duke Energy Convention Center.

• In downtown, the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati completed $23 million in renovations to its lobby and all 491 guest rooms last September. The extensive updates included crisp, modern design throughout the hotel, as well as the debut of the Red Roost Tavern, a new upscale farm-to-table-style restaurant.
 
• Two new Hilton hotels are being carved out of the historic Cincinnati Enquirer Building. A 105-room  Homewood Suites and a 144-room Hampton Inn & Suites. The project is expected to be completed by year's end.

• The Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza last year completed a $10 million revamp that added new furniture and wireless Internet to the 561 guest rooms. The hotel has more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space.  

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 561-room Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, 491-room Hyatt Regency Cincinnati and 456-room Westin Cincinnati. To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.

Convention Center: Duke Energy Convention Center; exhibit space, 750,000 square feet; meeting rooms, 30; (513) 419-7300

Airport Transit: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, 13 miles from downtown. Cost by taxi to downtown, $25

Taxes: Sales tax, 6.5%; county lodging tax, 6.5%; city lodging tax, 4%; total tax on hotel rooms, 17%

Contact: CincinnatiUSA, (513) 621-2142 or (800) 543-2613

CLEVELAND

Local Update

• In the historic Arcade shopping mall, Skyline International Development Inc. has invested $6 million to renovate the 293-room Hyatt Regency. Already completed are 113 guest rooms, which now sport new fixtures and furniture. The remaining rooms will close in spring 2015 and come back online by that summer.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 491-room Renaissance Cleveland Hotel and 242-room Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel.

Convention Center: Cleveland Convention Center; exhibit space, 225,000 square feet; meeting rooms, 35; (216) 928-1600

Airport Transit: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, nine miles from downtown. Cost by taxi to downtown, about $31

Taxes: Cuyahoga County sales tax, 8%; occupancy tax, 3%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11%

Contact: Positively Cleveland, (800) 321-1001

INDIANAPOLIS

Local Update

• The 575-room Westin Indianapolis completed a guest room renovation in February. The hotel has 39,000 square feet of event space and connects to the Indiana Convention Center.

• The 1,005-room JW Marriott Indianapolis, part of the $450 million Marriott Place Indianapolis complex, has won a bronze 2014 GreenLeaders medal from TripAdvisor. The hotel has 103,000 square feet of meeting space.

Convention Center: Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium; exhibit space, approximately 749,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 83; (317) 262-3400

Airport Transit: Indianapolis International Airport, 16 miles from downtown. Cost by taxi to downtown, $30-35

Taxes: State tax, 7%; local tax, 10%; total tax on hotel rooms, 17%

Contact: Visit Indy, (800) 323-4639



KANSAS CITY, MO.

Local Update

• The 132-room Hotel Sorella Country Club Plaza debuted last November in the Country Club Plaza District. Along with its Mediterranean-villa stylings, the boutique property has more than 5,700 square feet of meeting space.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 983-room Kansas City Marriott Downtown, 724-room Westin Kansas City at Crown Center and 366-room InterContinental Kansas City.

Convention Center: Kansas City Convention Center; exhibit space, 388,800 square feet; meeting rooms, 48; (816) 513-5000

Airport Transit: Kansas City International Airport, 15 miles from downtown. Cost by taxi to downtown, about $50

Taxes: Sales tax, 9.35%; room tax, 7.5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 16.85%

Contact: Visit KC, (800) 767-7700


MILWAUKEE

Local Update

• The 381-room Potawatomi Bingo Casino Hotel will open this fall with more than 10,000 square feet of event space. It will be connected to the Expo Center, which has its own 32,000 square feet of meeting space.

• Built in 1893, the landmark 307-room Pfister Hotel recently revamped its 176 tower rooms and added two new club floors. The landmark property has more than 25,000 square feet of meeting space for up to 1,500 people.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 729-room Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 307-room Pfister Hotel and 194-room Crowne Plaza Hotel Milwaukee.

Convention Center: Wisconsin Center; exhibit space, 189,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 28; (414) 908-6001; wisconsincenter.org

Airport Transit: General Mitchell International Airport, 10 minutes from downtown. Cost by taxi to downtown, about $26

Taxes: City room tax, 7%; county room tax, 2.5%; sales tax, 5%; county special tax, 0.5%; stadium tax, 0.1%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15.1%

Contact: Visit Milwaukee, (800) 231-0903



WICHITA, KAN.

Local Update

• The Courtyard by Marriott Wichita at Old Town has completed a remodel of all of its 128 guest rooms. The upgrade wraps up a renovation that began with the hotel lobby (now graced by a Table 820 bistro and lounge), atrium and ballroom. The hotel, originally built as a warehouse in 1930, includes approximately 4,000 square feet of meeting space spread among three meeting rooms.

• The Holiday Inn Wichita East I-35 has begun a revamp of its 199 guest rooms. The property, within walking distance of some of Wichita's best shopping, also just finished renovating its 12,600-square-foot banquet space, business center and lobby.

• The 303-room Hyatt Regency Wichita is nearing completion of a $7.5 million guest room renovation. The hotel has a heated indoor pool, a 24-hour StayFit gym, and more than 40,200 square feet of function space.

• The 121-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott Wichita Airport is scheduled to open in September with 2,409 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom accommodating up to 174 people.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 303-room Hyatt Regency Wichita, 302-room DoubleTree by Hilton Wichita Airport, 294-room Wichita Marriott and 200-room Drury Plaza Broadview Hotel.

To compare hotels and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.

Convention Center: Century 2-Performing Arts and Convention Center; exhibit space, 170,000 square feet; meeting rooms, 22; (316) 264-9121

Airport Transit: Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (to be renamed Dwight D. Eisenhower National), 10 minutes from downtown. Cost by taxi to downtown, $15

Taxes: Hotel tax, 6%; sales tax, 7.15%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13.15%

Contact: Go Wichita, (316) 265-2800 or (800) 288-9424; fax: (316) 265-0162