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New hotel next step in revitalized vision for downtown

By Sebastian Kitchen
Montgomery Advertiser



MAKING ROOM
Details of the luxury hotel and convention center expansion project include:

Total anticipated cost of $157 million

Expected to open in September 2007

Civic center will have more than 70,000 square feet of meeting space

14,000-square-foot ballroom on the main level of the hotel

Performing arts center will hold 1,800 people for traveling Broadway shows and other entertainment

Bottom floor of the hotel will feature an upscale restaurant along Commerce Street

Six-level parking deck will hold more than 600 spaces

Top deck of the hotel will feature an 8,000-square-foot European-style spa, fitness center and pool

Interior décor will be inspired by the artwork of native Montgomerian Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

Structure is influenced by The Plaza Hotel in New York

Source: PCH Hotels and Resorts

The anchor has been dropped.

Montgomery and state officials revealed plans and broke ground Friday on the $157 million hotel, convention center, performing arts theater and parking deck expected to anchor the next phase of downtown development and revitalization.

"The groundbreaking will be another critical piece in the resurrection of our downtown," Mayor Bobby Bright said.

The hotel is expected to open for business in September 2007, with 347 rooms in a 12-story building on Commerce Street.

"The need is here, and it's a great location," Bright said.

The project will be the latest in a series of developments intended to rejuvenate and bolster downtown Montgomery and strengthen the city's core, Bright said.

"Any city that is successful, they have a very vibrant core," he said. "Our downtown and riverfront are the core of our city."

Bright said Friday was an historic day for the city. He said the hotel is another sign the city is growing and the gains equate to more jobs, more revenue for the city and more outside investment in Montgomery.

The project is a partnership between the city and Retirement Systems of Alabama. The city is contributing about $30 million, the land and the shell of the former civic center. RSA will fund the remaining portion.

Bright and David Bronner, chief executive officer of RSA, say they share a vision for a strong downtown Montgomery.

"We have worked very hard to change the image of Montgomery," Bronner said.

After being elected six years ago, Bright shared his vision for revitalizing downtown and the riverfront. During the last six years, much of the vision has been initiated and some has come to fruition. Riverwalk stadium, construction along the riverwalk, the amphitheater and loft apartments all signify the investment and movement downtown.

Those, along with Hyundai, demonstrate movement in Montgomery, said Gordon Martin, vice chairman of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation.

"Today, we are gathered at the center of that vision as it becomes a reality," Martin said.

Bright symbolically poured the first concrete. The mayor and Bronner etched their names in the structure.

The city has a management agreement with PCH Hotels and Resorts, a subsidiary of RSA, and will share expenditures and revenues from all of the structures, except the hotel, Bright said.

The hotel is expected to be a Renaissance, one of the upscale Marriott brands. Bright said they have begun to market the facility for future events.

The project has come a long way since its inception. The initial price tag was $50 million to $80 million, but continued to climb. The city's investment never did, remaining near $30 million.

"That has never been asked to be raised," Bright said.

He said there have been dramatic changes in Montgomery in the last five years and the hotel and convention center will contribute to great changes in coming years.

"It is really going to change," he said.