Columbus will be getting a luxurious addition to the hotel scene with a Canopy by Hilton planned for 77 E. Nationwide Blvd.
That’s the message Chris Brock, Hilton Worldwide’s franchise development director, brought to the city’s Downtown Commission Tuesday morning as panel members considered final approval of a plan by Indus Hotels to build a 12-story, 168-room hotel at the site of what is now HER Realtors’ headquarters.
Brock noted Hilton (NYSE:HLT) already has a flagship Hilton convention hotel, Hampton Inn & Suites and DoubleTree hotel brands downtown.
“(Canopy) leans more to the luxury, upper-upscale segment,” Brock said.
He said the fledgling brand has 20 franchise agreement approved worldwide for the new “urban-centric” concept, which Hilton will approve only in downtowns and other urban settings.
“You’re not going to see it at an airport or in the suburbs,” Brock said. “And no two Canopy hotels will be alike.”
Most of the hotels will have rooftop bars open to the public, he said, including this one.
The project passed the commission after discussion about changes to the project since its second conceptual review in May.
Indus Hotels President David Patel, who also owns the downtown Hampton, told me the developer will finalize its franchise agreement with Hilton in the next month or so as final design and construction documents get worked on.
The project, he said, will get under construction June 1, a schedule allowing for a late 2017 opening.