Hammons Hotels begins work on Illinois property

John Q. Hammons will own the nine-story, 229-room hotel, and the city will own the 45,000-square-foot conference center. Both will be managed by Hammons Hotels and are scheduled to open in fall 2008.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos calls the development the “cornerstone” of the city’s Uptown Renewal Plan, which also will involve a multimodal transportation system, a Children’s Discovery Museum, building renovations and infrastructure improvements.

“The meetings and conventions business generated by the conference center will assure the success of the hotel and further the potential of uptown Normal by attracting visitors from across the country,” Hammons said in a news release.

Company headquarters near the development include Mitsubishi Motors of North America, State Farm Insurance, Verizon Communications and General Electric.