�The Minneapolis/St. Paul business community is prospering,� says Antonio Bismonte, executive vice president of TrizecHahn Office Properties. �Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel�s central location makes it the perfect place in which to create a state-of-the-art hotel with all of the technological necessities needed to support the growing business community.�
Among the most significant changes being initiated at the Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel is the relocation of the hotel lobby to street level from its current location on the seventh floor. The planned lobby will feature a beautiful registration and concierge area, as well as an inviting guest lounge easily accessible from the new street entrance. The modified lobby design will also allow direct access to the adjacent Northstar retail center, office complex and a planned bistro-style restaurant set to open in March 2001.

During the course of the renovation, an additional 5,000 square feet of meeting space is being added to the hotel, located in the heart of the Minneapolis business district. Upon project completion, the Crowne Plaza Northstar will house a 3,500-square-foot ballroom and 16 additional meeting and conference rooms, all of which will offer fiber optic connections and advanced audio/visual equipment capable of supporting the presentation needs of today�s businesses.

�This is an incredible opportunity for us to transform the hotel into Minneapolis/St. Paul�s premier business hotel,� says Jim Waldvogel, general manager of Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel. �The hotel is ideally situated to accommodate the many business professionals visiting the Twin Cities. TrizecHahn�s commitment to helping the property maximize its potential will ensure the success of the Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel.�

All 226 of Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel�s guestrooms also will receive significant attention during the renovation. New heating, air conditioning and energy-efficient windows are being installed to allow guests greater climate control capabilities. DSL Internet-access, new televisions and workstations are also being added to increase guestroom comfort. With the renovation, guests will also enjoy an expanded and updated exercise facility.

Watershed Partners will serve as the project manager, overseeing the renovation being implemented by McGough Construction. Both companies are Minneapolis-based and operated. TrizecHahn Office Properties, owners of Northstar Center and Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel, are providing all financing for the hotel renovation. The Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel is managed and operated by Milwaukee-based Marcus Hotels and Resorts, a division of the The Marcus Corporation, a NYSE company.

Comprising more than 52 million square feet of first-class office space, TrizecHahn Office Properties is one of the largest publicly traded real estate companies in the world with approximately 87 commercial real estate assets located across North America. 

Headquartered in Chicago, TrizecHahn Office Properties is creating long-term, profitable growth through acquisition, expansion and development in new markets.  The parent company, TrizecHahn Corporation has offices in Toronto, London, Berlin, Budapest and Hong Kong with over 1,200 employees worldwide.