Columbus

What’s New in Downtown Columbus

THE convention district in downtown Columbus has been undergoing a major overhaul over the past several years, and the momentum doesn’t seem to be stalling any time soon. The changes started with the construction of the Hilton Columbus Downtown, which opened its doors in 2012. The 532-room hotel almost didn’t exist. The city, wanting to boost convention business in Columbus, tried unsuccessfully to find a private company to build the hotel. Still, when that didn’t work, the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, along with the City of Columbus, took the lead in securing the funding to make the project happen. Because of that gamble, the convention business in Columbus has seen substantial growth, paving the way for a $200M renovation and expansion of the Convention Center and the $220M expansion of the Hilton. With 1,000 rooms and 75,000 square feet of meeting space, it will be the largest hotel in the state of Ohio.

Along with these projects are several other hotel projects underway nearby. In July of 2019, the Canopy by Hilton, a 12-story hotel with 167 rooms, opened just across Nationwide Boulevard on the south end of the convention center. About a block east of the convention center will be the AC Hotel, a 160-room hotel opening in early 2021. Just a few blocks north of the convention center is the just-opened Graduate Columbus, a college-themed hotel featuring 171 rooms, 4,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, a 2,500 sq. ft. lobby and connecting to the new Shake Shack restaurant. Right next to the Graduate is the Moxy Columbus Short North, a 116-room hotel featuring a 10th-floor rooftop bar. The hotel has a unique bar-oriented theme and artwork that gives a nod to Columbus’ fashion industry.

If all this construction isn’t enough, the building of the North Market Mixed Use Project is slated to begin in early 2020. This project will have a 200- room boutique hotel, 150 residential units, over 11,000 sq. ft. of north market expansion, 90,000 sq. ft of office space and 352 parking spaces. The estimated completion will be late 2022. Once completed, these projects will add over 1,000 additional rooms within walking distance or directly connected to the convention center.

With the wonderful feedback the city received after the successful ASAE event, Columbus will be poised to bring in some of the larger, more high profile/national conventions to the city. PCMA has already announced that Columbus will host its 2023 convention, and this will only help to boost Columbus’ standing as a convention destination city. Added to all of this will be the $300M Columbus Crew’s new downtown stadium, giving convention goers the option of attending a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game, a Columbus Clippers baseball game, or a Columbus Crew soccer game, all within walking distance of the convention center.