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Friday, September 14, 2012

Local developer plans new large hotel in Downtown Spokane

Local developer Walt Worthy has built up quite the legacy for himself by developing and managing a few well known buildings around Spokane. The most notable of which is easily the Davenport Hotel and it's neighboring Davenport Hotel Tower which Mr. Worthy brought back to life thru an expansive restoration and new construction process a few years back. And now Walt Worthy is proposing what would not only be his largest project yet but would also be such a large project it would change the skyline of Downtown Spokane forever.

Mr. Worthy has officially announced plans to build a new 15 story hotel on the site of the current south parking lot of the INB Performing Arts Center. The proposed new hotel would have around 550 guest rooms that would be similar in size to the rooms at the Davenport Hotel Tower. Also on the plans for the new hotel's building would be a spa and several new retail spaces. The new hotel would not eliminate any of the parking spaces that are currently on the site,instead all of those parking spaces would be moved underground and some new spaces would also be added,including in a new above ground parking garage on the east end of the site.

The new hotel will assume a national chain's name and branding such as Hyatt ,Marriott or similar. However management of the hotel would remain local. Mr. Worthy plans to begin construction on this project in early 2013 and opening will most likely be about 1 1/2 to 2 years after that.

The hotel project is being built on land that is currently and will continue to be owned by the Spokane Public Facilities District which is a branch of local government that also owns and oversees the INB Performing Arts Center ,the nearby Spokane Convention Center and the Spokane Arena. The Public Facilities District is allowing and supporting the development because they say it will make them and Spokane more competitive to obtain some larger conferences that with the current hotel room situation Spokane simply cannot host. 

The hotel will also have direct access to the Convention Center and INB Performing Arts Center via a skywalk that would be built across Spokane Falls Blvd. . The main front entrance will also be on the north end of the new hotel facing the Convention Center to allow for easy walking access for Spokane's Convention attendees.