LOUISVILLE, KY. — Omni Hotels & Resorts and the Louisville Metro Government have entered into an agreement to develop a 600-room convention center hotel in downtown Louisville. The $261 million Omni Louisville Hotel will be situated one block from the 300,000-square-foot Kentucky International Convention Center and will be the first four-diamond, luxury hotel in the area.
The property will feature 600 guestrooms and suites, 70,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa, fitness center, two full-service restaurants, rooftop pool-side café, street-level retail space and a lobby lounge. The hotel is also designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.
“This project is a major infusion in our downtown and to the city’s entire economy,” says Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “It will create jobs, both temporary construction positions and permanent jobs, and it will boost our convention and tourism industry as Omni provides a new level of luxury hotel.”
Located on Water Company Block at West Liberty and 3rd Street, the hotel will be the cornerstone of Fourth Street Live!, Louisville’s well-known entertainment, retail and office district, which is Kentucky’s most visited attraction drawing more than 4.5 million visitors per year.
The hotel is scheduled to open in 2017 and will be the first Omni property in Kentucky. Omni will showcase the local flair of Louisville through the hotel’s design and décor, dining options and retail venue.
The Cordish Cos., the Baltimore-based developer of Fourth Street Live!, will work with Omni in partnership with the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky to develop the mixed-use complex.
“Louisville is a thriving city, and we are ready to work in partnership with the city and The Cordish Cos. to develop a full-service, four-diamond hotel that will bring more meetings and conventions, as well as business and leisure travelers to the area,” says Mike Deitemeyer, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts.
The project will eventually feature residential apartments, a flagship grocery store-anchored retail development and an underground parking garage that will serve all three entities. The project will be funded through the public/private partnership, with the land to be donated to Omni and The Cordish Cos.
“The addition of a four-diamond Omni convention hotel, downtown grocery store and upscale apartments will be a major catalyst for growing the city's convention business and helping to make the downtown a 24-7 community,” says Blake Cordish, vice president of The Cordish Cos. “We are incredibly proud to play a role in the revitalization of downtown and we are committed, in partnership with the city, state and Omni, to develop a best-in-class development that will be a source of pride for the community.”
Dallas-based Omni Hotels & Resorts has nearly 60 luxury hotels and resorts in its portfolio. The Omni Louisville Hotel will become a part of Omni’s Convention Collection, which features signature properties in Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Worth, Nashville, Providence, and Washington, D.C.
— John Nelson