Monday, March 18, 2024

New Growth on Summit Street

The SeaGate Centre gets revamped with a new ballroom and adjacent Hyatt Hotel

In a press conference led by the Board of Lucas County Commissioners, two major developments to further the economic development of downtown Toledo were announced: a new dual-purpose Hyatt hotel and the revamping of the SeaGate Centre, which will include the addition of a ballroom that will accommodate up to 1,000 people.

County Commissioner Pete Gerken said that “between the two projects there will be $70 million worth of investments that will create jobs and opportunities in downtown Toledo.”

The forthcoming Hyatt— formerly the SeaGate Hotel and currently a partially gutted eyesore under construction on 127 N. Summit St.— is part of LCCs partnership with Chicago’s First Hospitality Group, which owns the Renaissance Hotel. The dual-purpose Hyatt will include a Hyatt Place for nightly stays and a Hyatt House with suites for extended stays.

“There are always risks in taking on private and public partnerships,” said Gerken, “but we think it’s worth the risk when you see the reward of what we’ve done in downtown Toledo over the past 15 years.”

Commissioner President Tina Skeldon Wozniak added that the $70 million project promises to be an investment on par with the Huntington Center, Fifth Third Field, and Hensville, in terms of bringing visitors and revenue to the downtown area.

“We know the economic activity will jump from 400 million to approximately $800 million jump in economic revenue in within the next 20 years, so that’s the news we need, and we couldn’t be happier,” Wozniak said.

First Hospitality Groups chairman Steve Schwartz added that Summit Street was once considered the commercial hub of Toledo, and he looks forward to reinvigorating it with the addition of the new hotel, which is expected to open in early 2021. He noted that the addition of the rooms is “pivotal for the Convention Centre and all the businesses that have relocated downtown. It’s an exciting time, and it’s a lot of jobs and dollars.”

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