The $350 million hotel is slated to be completed in 2008, in conjunction
with the extensive $600 million expansion project already underway at the Phoenix Convention Center (http://www.phx2006.com).  The hotel will be located only two blocks from the Convention Center and allow guests easy walking routes.  The city expects to have contracts signed with the architect, interior-design, construction management and program management companies by late December.  The design firms have local offices or partners and have worked on other Phoenix marquee projects, including the $354 million Bank One Ballpark.  Arquitectonica also worked on the city-owned Hilton Americas in Houston and the Westin New York at Times Square.

"The new downtown will be dynamic offering scores of new amenities, attractions, and meeting space options," explained Scott White, V.P. of Sales and Marketing for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Phoenix' downtown area, known as Copper Square, is undergoing a transformation as the Convention Center expansion project attracts new business.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is scheduled to open in early 2005.  Currently, there is shopping, movie theatres and nearly 100 restaurants and bars, and 20 art galleries and cultural venues in the immediate area.  It is home to four professional sports teams including the Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), Phoenix Suns (NBA), Arizona Rattlers (AFL), and the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA).  The downtown area is the hub of the region's transportation infrastructure, which is ringed by freeways, busses and will be served by the new "METRO" light rail system.

The area will also be headquarters to the International Genomics Consortium and Translational Genomics Research Institute as well as the Arizona Biosciences Collaborative.  It will also be the future site of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center as well as the proposed home for 12,000 students at the Arizona State Downtown campus.

Phoenix is now the 5th largest city in the U.S. and is a premier leisure and meetings destination with over 200 golf courses, 335,000 square feet of spas, a diverse culinary scene, and a rich cultural haven.  Phoenix will be hosting the 2008 Super Bowl and boasts Spring Training baseball as a major attraction each March.  The Greater Phoenix area attracts over 13 million visitors each year, offers 1,300 flights out of Sky Harbor International Airport, and boasts over 50,000 hotel rooms.