One reason for my visit to Indianapolis earlier this week, in addition to book-signing events, was an exclusive “hard hat” tour of our own Dean White‘s soon-to-be completed blue glass hotel. The highrise will be a new addition to the Indianapolis skyline.
The 34-story hotel will open in February and already has 90,000 room reservations on the books, assuring heavy occupancy as soon as it is officially unveiled.
This tower is named the JW Marriott, in tribute to Marriott founder and Utah claim-to-fame J. Willard Marriott, who died at 84 on my birthday, Aug. 13, 1985. It’s the final phase of White Lodging’s new $450 million hotel complex in downtown Indianapolis on West Street, next to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Pacers and Colts, and Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians. Also located next to White River State Park, the complex includes a Marriott Courtyard, Spring Hill Suites and a Fairfield Inn. All opened in February.
The eight-story Fairfield Inn carries a special sentiment for White, 86, of Crown Point. It was originally a Howard Johnson’s, then a Ramada Inn, and finally a Courtyard Marriott. But it is the first hotel the White family purchased after entering the lodging industry following construction of the Holiday Star Theater Hotel in 1979.
(White sold his WhiteCo billboard and advertising company to Chancellor Media Corp. for a staggering $962 million to concentrate on lodging.)
As for the new JW Marriott, it boasts 1,005 rooms, including three presidential suites on the 33rd floor. Each costs about $1,400 per night. Most rooms are priced from $159 to $309 depending on the day of the week and seasonal events.
The real push for this project, according director of marketing Patrick Dougherty, is the fact that downtown Indianapolis has missed out on major convention and tourism dollars since it lacked a hotel space that could host 1,000 guests. The new hotel also boasts one of the largest ballrooms in the Midwest, sprawling 40,700 square feet.
Rooms feature walnut trim and special thermostats with “energy saver” sensors that adjust temperatures by monitoring movement.
I’m told by the project manager that White visited the project last summer and remains determined and anxious to see the completion. Two years ago, when the recession hit and banks refused to finance pricey ventures, White’s staff told me the entrepreneur wrote personal checks to continue the project.
Other features of the hotel include a High Velocity sports bars and a fine-dining Italian bistro yet to be named. A heated granite drive will remedy the need for snow shoveling.
“When Bruce White was here in the spring to give a talk to the other representatives of other downtown hotels, he emphasized that this project should not be viewed as competition but as complimentary in natures since it will help draw even more people and possibilities to Indianapolis,” Dougherty said.
For more information, visit www.jwindy.com or call (317) 822-8554.
