NORMAL, IL— John Q. Hammons reported that he plans to develop a $30-million, 220-room Marriott Hotel here in Normal. The new property will be owned by Hammons and managed by Springfield, MO-based John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc. Construction of the eight-story Marriott Hotel is expected to begin in May 2005, with a grand opening slated for the fall of 2006. The hotel will be located adjacent to Illinois State University and the city’s business district and accessible to Interstate highways I-55, I-74 and I-39. With 28,000 square feet of meeting space, the new property will adjoin the city’s development of an $8-million conference center and 300-vehicle parking garage. In addition to the hotel and convention center, Normal has a downtown revitalization development plan that includes the construction of a new Multi-Modal Center, which will serve as the hub for all of the city’s transit services. The facility will offer many forms of ground transportation, including Amtrak trains, taxis, and interstate, regional and local transit buses. Additionally, a 34,000-square-foot Children’s Discovery Museum is currently under construction and is slated to open in November 2004. The museum is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors annually. The new Marriott will feature a variety of amenities for both business and leisure travelers including two telephone lines with dataports and voicemail, high-speed Internet access, writing desks, remote color televisions, in-room coffeemakers, iron and ironing boards, hairdryers and daily newspaper delivery to each room. The hotel also will offer a full service business center, restaurant, health and fitness center, indoor pool, whirlpool and sauna.
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