Baltimore’s revitalization is such that $11 billion is invested in new development, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Association.
“We’re remaking a whole new city. Our challenge is to let people know how much Baltimore has changed and to fill more hotel rooms,†said Tom Noonan, president and CEO.
A total of 2,200 hotel rooms are expected in the next few years, most of them downtown and at the harbor.
The area’s convention bureau has a tagline “In Baltimore, you’re two feet away from everything.†It includes a picture of tennis shoes with city scenes superimposed on the soles.
“Everything delegates would want is within walking distance,†said Mr Noonan, mentioning the harbor, sports stadiums, restaurants, museums and other attractions.
In addition to attractive nearby neighborhoods, there are year-round harbor cruises.
The 1.2 million square foot Baltimore Convention center has 300,000 square feet of exhibit halls, 85,000 square feet of meeting rooms and a 36,000 square foot ballroom.
The city itself has almost 7,000 hotel rooms, with a similar number in the suburbs.
The Hilton Baltimore Convention Center is scheduled to open this month with 757 rooms and 62,000 square feet of meeting space. The property is connected to the convention center by an enclosed pedestrian walkway.
The Hyatt Regency Baltimore is also connected to the convention center.
The city’s largest meeting hotel is the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, which has 70,000 square feet of meeting space.
Report by David Wilkening
