Cincinnati's new Marriott will be connected to the First Financial Center by skywalk. Courtesy of Portman
Ground will be broken July 21 on a new headquarters hotel that is going up across the street from the First Financial Center, Cincinnati's recently renovated convention facility.
The $536 million, 700-room Marriott, which will be connected to the convention center by skywalk, is expected to feature more than 62,000 square feet of its own meeting space and a 17,000-square-foot events terrace. Dining options will include a full-service, three-meal restaurant and an outdoor bar with panoramic skyline views. About 15,000 square feet of retail space also will be available.
The developer, Portman, and its public-sector partners recently announced the closing of $540 million in financing for the new Cincinnati Downtown Marriott, which will anchor the city's revitalized Convention District.
The revamped First Financial Center debuted in January following a $240 million transformation that gave it a new façade. The exhibition hall now flows into the new outdoor Elm Street Plaza, which opened last November. The project included the addition of state-of-the-art sustainability technology to reduce the center's environmental impact and its operating costs. The ballrooms also were redone along with the prefunction area, and a new rooftop terrace offering views of the city was added.