Hammons opens Illinois Marriott, continues Colorado work

John Q. Hammons' third new hotel in 2009 is open for business in Normal, Ill.

The nine-story Marriott Bloomington-Normal Hotel & Conference Center has 230 rooms and suites and 40,000 square feet of meeting space, according to a company news release. John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts will manage the property, which boasts a 21-foot water feature and more than 40 tons of granite.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the hotel is scheduled for Nov. 12.

The hotel and conference center represents one of the first major capital improvements in Normal in nearly two decades, according to the release. The facilities connect to a 500-space parking deck via a climate-controlled skywalk. The conference center, which can accommodate up to 2,000 attendees, has more than $3 million in group and business pre-opening sales.

Meanwhile, Hammons is moving forward on two hotels in Colorado Springs, Colo., despite concerns that work had stalled.

Hammons told the Colorado Springs Gazette Oct. 30 that he is proceeding with his plan to build a 225-room Embassy Suites in southwest downtown. The Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority had said Hammons hadn't responded to recent inquiries, leading to speculation that Hammons was abandoning the project.

The Gazette reported that Hammons said the delay was caused by difficulty obtaining financing.

Hammons also said construction has not stopped on his planned 300-room Renaissance Hotel in north Colorado Springs. He said the project, for which he has already spent $43 million of his own money, will be completed once he obtains a $75 million loan, which expects to receive in the next month.

The property is expected to open in June.