N 2014, THE LANDSCAPE OF MEETINGS AND conventions in downtown Washington, D.C., will change dramatically with the opening of the Washington Marriott Marquis. With 1,175 guest rooms and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, the $520-million hotel will provide guests with a direct connection via underground concourse to the adjacent Wal- ter E. Washington Convention Center.
“The groundbreaking of the Washington Mar- ✱ CAPITAL
riott Marquis is a big win for D.C.’s meetings and tourism industry,” Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, said in November 2010, when the project broke ground. “With a major new hotel attached to the convention center, meeting and event planners will find it easier to build large blocks of hotel rooms. The hotel also brings a sig- nificant amount of superior meeting space, which we can marry with the space at the convention center to maximize its use.” The Washington Marriott Marquis, one of only five Marriott Mar-
IMPROVEMENT: The new 1,175-room Washington Marriott Marquis broke ground last fall and will make its debut in the spring of 2014. The centerpiece of the hotel will be an expan- sive atrium skylight, which will stretch the length of an entire foot- ball field.
including the reduction of CO2
quis hotels in the country, will offer an array of flexible meeting spaces, from the 30,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom (with 22-foot ceilings) to a 2,500-square-foot rooftop terrace overlooking down- town D.C. Planners will also have plenty of meeting rooms — 53,000 square feet worth — for convention breakouts. All 1,175 guest rooms at the Washington Marriott Marquis will
be outfitted with the brand’s signature amenities. Ultra-plush Revive bedding, LCD flat-screen televisions, wireless Internet access, and a smartly designed workstation will treat guests to all of the comforts of home. When meetings wrap up, guests can take advantage of the hotel’s 8,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art fitness center, five restaurants and lounges, and multiple on-site retail outlets. The vibrant Penn Quarter district and Metro green and yellow lines are only steps away — but guests may want to stay put, since the hotel, with its light-filled grand atrium lobby, is set to become D.C.’s newest social hub. Designed to earn LEED Silver certification, the hotel will be one
of the largest in the country to receive this designation. The property will incorporate a number of eco-friendly initiatives and strategies,
pcma convene November 2011
emissions, improved indoor environ-
mental quality, and a conscious effort to save resources by reducing water and energy use. n
AT A GLANCE
Guest rooms: 1,175, including 46 suites (two presidential and six vice-presidential) Convention facilities: More than 100,000 square feet of meet- ing and function space, including a 30,000-square-foot Grand Ball- room, two 10,800-square-foot Junior Ballrooms, 53,000 square feet of meeting rooms, an 18,000-square-foot indoor event terrace, and a concourse connecting to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center On-site services and amenities: An 8,000-square-foot fitness center; five restaurant, bar, and lounge options; and a concierge floor
For more information: Washington Marriott Marquis, 901 Massa- chusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001; (202) 962-4882; www.dcmarquismeetings.com