Michigan
Huntington Place, the downtown Detroit convention center, announced it has again achieved LEED Gold status by recertifying under the LEED v4.1 O+M rating system, “the most robust, flexible and transparent rating system to date,” making the center the largest LEED-certified facility in Michigan.
Huntington Place was recognized by LEED for several practices resulting in certification, scoring particularly high in Human Experience, which includes an indoor air quality evaluation and demonstrated the building’s excellent ventilation and air quality. The venue’s performance for water use was also highly rated, as the building uses less water per square foot and per person than the local average.
Huntington Place offers 723,000 square feet of exhibit space, boasting one of the largest contiguous exhibit floor spaces in North America as well as the largest ballroom in Michigan, Grand Riverview Ballroom, measuring 40,000 square feet. The convention center also features 100 meeting rooms totaling 20,000 square feet and the three-story, 30,000-square-foot Glass Atrium.
[Related: New and Renovated Historic Midwest Hotels]
Missouri
Newly renovated and developed by Rockbridge, The Pennywell St. Louis Downtown, a Hilton Hotel opened in the heart of St. Louis in mid-February. The boutique property is housed within the former 19th-century Merchants-Laclede National Bank from 1885, located near top attractions and America’s Center Convention Complex.
The 195-room property is home to The Pennydrop Bar + Kitchen, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a focus on sharable plates, making the restaurant a suitable setting for smaller social gatherings and events. With an approachable yet elevated menu, The Pennydrop lends itself to group gatherings and team meals partnered with a curated Banker’s Hour selection of rotating whiskey cocktails, beer and wine specials.
The Pennywell St. Louis Downtown features 5,113 square feet of event space appointed with trendy fixtures, stately marble and hardwood and metal furnishings. The 1,377-square-foot Gateway Ballroom is the property’s largest space and can host up to 120 guests.
Ohio
AC Hotel Dayton opened its doors this March, offering an ideal location steps away from local dining, shops, sports and entertainment, arts and culture and more in the popular college town. AC Hotel Dayton, coined The Perfectly Precise Hotel, promises a sophisticated stay within the hotel’s 134 design-savvy guest rooms.
Guests can enjoy access to the hotel’s fitness center and European-inspired breakfast by day in the AC Kitchen, followed by craft beer and cocktails paired with delectable light bites by night in the AC Lounge. The property is also home to The Foundry, AC Hotel Dayton’s rooftop bar and restaurant set to open this spring. The Foundry touts an outside terrace overlooking Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons baseball team, and will feature modern American gastropub-inspired dishes.
AC Hotel Dayton features 4,500 square feet of AC Meeting Rooms and a collaborative AC Library offering communal tables, wireless printer and access to laptops and tablets. The hotel is near the University of Dayton, Schuster Performing Arts Center and Dayton Convention Center.
Rockbridge and Makeready announced The Junto will open May 2023 in Columbus, and the highly anticipated hotel is now accepting reservations. Known for its vibrant art scene, Ohio’s capital city will welcome its first independent lifestyle hotel to match the innovative and creative energy experienced throughout Columbus.
The Junto aims to serve as a creative hub and space for bringing people together, offering 198 creatively designed rooms and suites with unexpected touches, as well as a variety of restaurants and bars and private dining options.
The hotel will emphasize public gathering spaces and aims to give people from all backgrounds—“visitors, locals, entrepreneurs and artists”—a place to exchange ideas and inspire in more than 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space, featuring oversized and expansive windows opening to a large wrapped balcony overlooking the surrounding greenspace and downtown Columbus.
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