At your service: an update on new hotels, renovations and amenities.

AuthorMcKimmie, Kathy
PositionHOTELS & RESORTS

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CENTRAL INDIANA

The Hyatt Regency Indianapolis put the most into renovations in the downtown Indianapolis area this year, $13 million, and it shows. "It's a redesign, a whole new hotel after 30 years," says Brian Comes, general manager. The project, including a new entrance, lobby, renovated and expanded meeting space, and a new restaurant and bar, was completed last month. The hotel lobby features pods where staff can come out and greet guests, rather than stay behind a reception desk. It also offers four new kiosks for self check-in, which Comes says is very popular with frequent travelers.

On the lobby level is the new One South restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It serves American cuisine with an Italian flair, featuring a made-to-order pasta station. While the former Porch Restaurant on the third floor became part of the 8,000-square-foot Cosmopolitan Ballroom, diners can still head to the very top of the building to eat in the Eagle's Nest. The revolving restaurant, offering Indianapolis' most complete view, is now open only for dinner again. The hotel's sleek new Level One lounge on the lobby level serves drinks and better-than-your-average bar appetizers, from 3:00 p.m. to midnight. Comes says a redo of the health club with its windows looking out at the Statehouse is next on the agenda, then the hotel will begin again on the guest rooms, last updated five years ago, sometime after the model rooms are designed in 2008.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Westin, Indianapolis, begins this month on a $6.5 million renovation of the hotel's meeting space, including new sound systems in both ballrooms, all new lighting and a new HVAC system. The style and colors will offer a more contemporary look. Work will begin in the second-floor meeting space area, including the Grand Ballroom. When that's complete in February, renovation of the first-floor space, including the Capitol Ballroom, will begin. Renovation will be complete by March 31. A separate project, priced at $650,000, and expected to be completed at the same time, is an upgrade and expansion of the its health club.

Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, the city's largest hotel, also began a renovation last month and will complete work in mid-February. Renovation will include the lobby, all guest rooms, suites, banquet space, and public space, costing about $9.5 million. Seven hospitality suites will be converted into 14 double bed rooms, bumping up its total number of rooms to 622. The entire 40,000 square feet of banquet space will be refreshed with new carpet, wall covering, furniture, lamps and new banquet chairs.

Details released earlier this year on the planned $325 million JW Marriott complex in Indianapolis put the 29-story JW Marriott tower at 1,000 rooms and 110,000 square feet of meeting space, 250 rooms in the Courtyard by Marriott, 168 rooms in the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, and...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT