New JW Marriott to Expand Phoenix's Convention Capacity

Downtown Phoenix is set to gain a new meetings-focused hotel as Las Vegas-based LaPour Partners moves forward with plans to convert a vacant office tower into a 340-room JW Marriott with 15,000 square feet of event space.

The project will transform the 19-story tower within the Arizona Center mixed-use complex into an upscale hotel designed to serve conventions, corporate and group business. Plans include multiple dining outlets, a pool, a pa, a fitness center and a club lounge.

Steps from the convention center

One of the project's biggest draws for meeting planners is its location directly across from the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, and just half a block from the Phoenix Convention Center, placing it in the heart of the city's convention district. 

The hotel is expected to add about 15,000 square feet of indoor meeting and ballroom space, along with 2,542 square feet of outdoor event space. The group facilities will be on the building's 18th and 19th floors, where attendees will have views of downtown Phoenix and the surrounding mountains.

According to project developers, the hotel is being positioned as a “luxury urban resort” — a concept that could help distinguish it within the downtown market. Guest rooms are expected to average more than 500 square feet, providing larger-than-typical accommodations for business travelers and group attendees.

According to the developers, the project reflects a broader trend of converting underused office properties into hospitality assets. Completed in 1990, the tower offers characteristics that lend themselves to a hotel conversion, including generous floor-to-floor heights and floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Looking ahead

Interior demolition is expected to begin early next year, with the JW Marriott aiming to open in 2029. Once completed, it will become the third JW Marriott property in the Phoenix area and further expand downtown Phoenix's inventory of convention-oriented hotels.