With just seven months to go before its grand opening, Washington, D.C.’s much-anticipated convention center hotel — the Marriott Marquis Washington DC — reached its final construction height last week, a milestone that was celebrated with a special topping off ceremony on Sept. 25, Marriott International reported.
Located across the street from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the hotel is scheduled to open in May 2014. Upon opening, it will have 1,175 guest rooms, five separate restaurant spaces and more than 105,000 square feet of function 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, an 18,800-square-foot indoor event terrace and a 5,200-square-foot rooftop terrace.
Connected directly to the convention center by an underground concourse, the property is expected to help the nation’s capital — already a popular meeting destination — attract more and larger conventions.
“The Marriott Marquis is important not only for the District’s convention business, but for our economic development and job creation,” D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said in a statement. “We are a world-class destination and with the addition of this convention hotel, the District, our nation’s capital, is well on the way to be the meeting destination of choice for people not only in the United States but around the world.”
The Marriott Marquis Washington DC will be one of only five Marriott Marquis properties in the country. Designed to be green, it also will be one of the largest LEED Silver hotels in the country.
“The opening of the Marriott Marquis Washington DC in May 2014 reinforces Washington, D.C., as a top-tier convention destination with a world-class headquarters hotel,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, president and CEO of Events DC, the District’s convention and visitors bureau. “The Marriott Marquis will help Events DC create even greater economic benefits for the residents and businesses of the District of Columbia, and we look forward to building an even stronger partnership with Marriott for many years to come.”