The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), the public entity that owns Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center, has selected Marriott International to operate a planned headquarters hotel next to McCormick Place, it announced last week.
Scheduled to open in late 2016, the 1,200-room hotel will be a Marriott Marquis, joining only a handful of hotels that bear the prestigious “Marquis” moniker, bestowed by Marriott onto only its largest and most upscale meetings hotels.
“Development of this hotel is another step forward for Chicago’s thriving convention and trade show industry,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “These hundreds of additional nearby hotels rooms will strengthen our competitive edge and help us attract new business to Chicago, creating jobs and economic impact for years to come.”
Upon opening, the hotel — the only Marriott Marquis in metro Chicago — will be part of a new, walkable McCormick Place Entertainment District featuring several blocks of hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and other amenities.
“We are very pleased to incorporate Marriott’s iconic business brand into the hotel planned for the McCormick Place Entertainment District,” said MPEA CEO Jim Reilly. “The Marriott Marquis brand will be the perfect complement to the headquarters hotel concept and we look forward to Marriott’s input regarding design, construction and marketing of this flagship hotel.”
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