Kansas City, MO - Developers held a topping-off ceremony Wednesday at the still-under construction Loews Convention Center Hotel in downtown Kansas City.
Workers broke ground on the $300 million, 800-room hotel at 17th and Baltimore in March 2018. It's expected to open in spring 2020.
The owners are confident the hotel will spark economic development thoughout the city.
"We've booked significant new business in the market," said Alex Tisch, executive vice president of Loews Hotels. "That's business that's never come in this market just due to our national sales organization. The relevance of it is the new hotel and all that's gone on in downtown, and that's not just next year, it's in the coming five years out."
A major selling point for the hotel is that it would enable the city to compete for large conventions that have declined previous offers to locate in the market.
"All the things that we have missed out on are now at our fingertips because we are able to provide the amenities, the resources, the rooms," said Sly James, Kansas City mayor.
