On Wednesday, Mayor Adrian Fenty and the Washington Convention and Sports Authority hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the much-delayed $520 million Washington Marriott Marquis hotel, now expected to open in April 2014. The project had experienced a series of setbacks, including a lawsuit that was resolved earlier this year.
The 1,175-room property, one of only four Marriott Marquis hotels in the country, is planned as a companion to the adjacent Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Greg O’Dell, president and C.E.O. of the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, hopes the proximity of the new hotel to the center will boost convention sales. “We will be able to service more attendees,” he said. “Now, our customers have to spread themselves out among many hotels, which brings in transportation issues and costs.” The hotel will have an underground pedestrian connector, joining it to the convention center.
The new Marriott will have more than 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 30,000-square-foot grand ballroom, two 10,800-square-foot junior ballrooms, more than 53,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and a 5,200-square-foot rooftop terrace. There will also be five restaurants and retail outlets on the ground floor.
