Construction Cites
By Michael B. Baker
First Chicago JW Marriott To Debut Next Month
Marriott International next month will open
its first JW Marriott property in Chicago, a
$396 million restoration of a former bank
building at the corner of LaSalle and Adams
streets. The 610-room property includes a total
of 44,000 square feet of meeting space, confer-
ence rooms and recreation facilities. Meeting
facilities include an 8,453-sq.-ft. grand ball-
room, a 6,096-sq.-ft. junior ballroom, 35 break-
out rooms and a virtual meetings studio with
AT&T and Cisco TelePresence. Additionally,
the hotel houses a 20,000-sq.-ft. full-service spa
with 14 treatment rooms and a fitness center
that guests can use without charge. Dining
options include a signature restaurant and two
lounges for quick bites and cocktails.
Hilton Toronto Airport Finishes
$15 Million Total Renovation
Chicago’s JW Marriott will feature 44,000 square feet of meeting space, conference rooms and recreation facilities.
NYC’s Trump International Hotel At
Columbus Circle Completes Upgrade
Yakima, Wash., Convention Center
Plans 7,000-Sq.-Ft. Outdoor Space
The Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites
in recent months completed a two-year, $15
million top-to-bottom renovation of the prop-
erty’s guest rooms, lobby and meeting space.
The most recent phase of the project, com-
pleted over the summer, added new furnish-
ings and interior work to the property’s 23,000
square feet of meeting space, which includes
19 meeting rooms, as well as the hotel’s cor-
ridors and fitness center. The hotel already
had renovated 268 guest rooms, the lobby and
hotel dining areas in 2008, and it renovated 151
guest suites in 2009.
“This elevates the guest experience to a whole
new level,” the hotel’s director of sales and
marketing, Lynda Gilroy, said in a statement.
“With an estimated 31 million people passing
through Pearson International Airport, our
newly renovated hotel is now in an even better
position to compete for leisure and business
travelers.”
TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION
The Trump International Hotel & Tower
at Columbus Circle in New York this month
completed a $30 million renovation to its 176
guest rooms, directed by Donald Trump and
his daughter, Ivanka Trump.
The project added new upholstery, crys-
tal chandeliers and 55-inch flat-screen televi-
sions to the rooms. Hotel amenities include a
6,000-sq.-ft. spa and fitness center, in-room
computers and in-room dining from its restau-
rant, Jean Georges.
The Yakima, Wash., Convention Center
has begun work on an outdoor plaza that will
add 7,000 square feet of outdoor space to the
facility. Space features will include a privacy
rock wall, overhead lighting, outdoor seating
and landscaping. Completion of major work is
slated for late this month. Alongside the proj-
ect, the city is adding lighting and amenities to
nearby streets, a combined total of $975,000
in renovation work. The convention center,
which contains more than 41,000 square feet of
total meeting space, also is receiving $536,000
in interior improvements, including new car-
