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Congress Ave Hotel Will Be JW Marriott

An artists' rendering of a convention hotel to be built on Congress Ave.
Image by White Lodging Services Corporation
An artists' rendering of a convention hotel to be built on Congress Ave.

The developers of a new convention hotel planned for Congress Avenue downtown say they are changing it from a Marriott Marquis to the more upscale JW Marriott brand.

Plans for the hotel include oversized guestrooms and suites, upscale interior design finishes throughout, in excess of 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting, banquet and exhibition space, multiple food and beverage venues, underground parking, and a signature 4,500 square foot fitness center.

The developer, White Lodging Services Corporation, had initially planned to open the hotel as a Marriott Marquis, as the Austin Business Journal reported, but the new brand could give the city’s convention business an added appeal, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Mayor Lee Leffingwell has strongly advocated for more hotel spaces downtown to attract conventions to Austin. City council waived $4.3 million in development fees for White Lodging Services this summer.

Construction on the 30-story, 1003-room hotel is set to begin June 2012. It is scheduled to open in early 2015. The JW Marriott is one of three new hotels planned for the Central Business District downtown.  

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.