DETROIT
Detroit’s dormant Pontchartrain Hotel, if reopened as planned, could enhance the city’s ability to attract conventions and trade shows to the city, a local convention official has said.
The 413-room Pontchartrain, closed and in receivership for the past few years, has been sold to Mexican hotel developer Gabriel Ruiz, said Bill Bohde, senior vice president of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Bohde said he has been told by executives at the InterContinental Hotels Group that Ruiz is negotiating to reopen the Pontch under the Crowne Plaza chain, probably in 2013 after a renovation. The downtown property would give meeting planners the option of booking attendees into a property across the street from the Cobo Center, Detroit’s meeting facility.
“You’re going to be able to put speakers and VIPs right across the street from the convention center, which is very attractive to planners,” Bohde said.
