SAN DIEGO — Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, owned by Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST), is in the final stages of a $107 million expansion.
Located on downtown San Diego’s waterfront, the expansion of the luxury hotel and convention center will be complete in June. It will include two new ballrooms along with Marina Terrace, an outdoor area on the bay and the Marine Walk public walkway.
The project also includes a 16-screen video wall system and a Swarovski crystal ceiling installation. A multi-million dollar makeover of the resort’s guest rooms and public areas was completed in 2011.
The new construction will increase the center’s meeting, indoor and outdoor event space to 280,000 square feet. The largest portion of the expansion was adding two 36,000-square-foot ballrooms, known as Marriott Grand Ballroom and Pacific Ballroom. Each is capable of accommodating up to 3,700 guests, and both will have foyers reaching up to 25,000 square feet, offering options to extend the space.
The new building features a blue glass design, which makes use of natural light. tvsdesign was the project’s architect.
“We drew inspiration from the host community with its iconic coastline, which we incorporated into the design, capturing a sense of fluidity and movement throughout,” says Patricia Richey, lead designer and principal with tvsdesign.
Another part of the expansion is Marina Terrace, a 27,000-square-foot paved outdoor event space overlooking the marina. Marina Terrace can accommodate up to 4,000 guests.
A final piece of the renovation is Marriott Marquis’ Marina Walk, a landscaped walkway including public art, decorative paving, views of the waterfront, bike racks and benches.
Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, managed by Marriott Hotels International, is located at 333 W. Harbor Drive in San Diego, near the San Diego Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter. The adjacent hotel stayed open during the construction and has not been impacted.
The hotel includes two towers, each with 25 floors featuring 1,360 guest rooms, the Marina Kitchen restaurant, a fitness center, a spa and two outdoor pools.
— Haisten Willis