Louisville’s newest premier
convention hotel, the Louisville Marriott Downtown, marked its pre-opening
progress with a topping-off ceremony and ceremonial beam signing on
Wednesday, May 26th. Mayor Jerry E. Abramson, City dignitaries, convention
meeting planners, and hotel owners and managers signed the beam to
recognize the completion of the top floor of the 617-room luxury hotel.
The beam was then hoisted to its place among the steel and concrete making
up the construction site, to the delight of onlookers. “This topping out of the Louisville Marriott Downtown means that soon new
people and new dollars will be coming to Louisville,” said Mayor Abramson.
“We will have 2,500 hotel rooms connected to our convention center, which
will be a draw for bigger conventions, as well as new retail and dining
spaces, and luxury accommodations for our visitors and tourists to call
home during their stay in Louisville.”

Steve Poe, managing partner of the local investors group in the hotel
partnership said, “The $110 million Louisville Marriott Downtown project
is the largest Marriott urban hotel currently under construction anywhere.
With the merger of the city and county to form the 16th largest city in
America, the need was apparent for a public and private partnership that
would benefit the city in this way. This hotel is a perfect example of how
the public and private sectors can work together to create a success for
the community.”

The hotel is scheduled to open in early spring 2005 and will create more
than 550 jobs in the city and surrounding counties. It is located at 280
West Jefferson Street, directly across from and connected to the Kentucky
International Convention Center. The hotel will feature more than 44,000
square feet of meeting space, including the 21,000 square foot grand
Louisville Ballroom, and will offer a state-of-the-art business center
with high-speed Internet access, three restaurants, a lounge, an indoor
pool, and an oversized health club.

“The addition of the Louisville Marriott Downtown is helping Louisville
attract a wider variety of large national conventions and we feel this
reflects just the beginning of future demand,” said Shane Weaver, Director
of Marketing for Louisville Marriott Downtown. “With our 40,000 square
feet of meeting space and connectivity to the Convention Center, combined
with all Louisville has to offer, meeting planners are definitely taking
notice.”

The downtown location of the new Louisville Marriott places it in the
heart of the shopping, dining and entertainment district of the city. The
hotel is just blocks away from the new 4th Street Live entertainment and
shopping development, Waterfront Park, and Louisville Slugger Field, and
is just 10 minutes from Louisville International Airport.
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