oct-2017

42 43 Another news item concerns the recent ground- breaking of a 602-room Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Oregon convention Center, across the street from the OCC, to be completed by the end of 2019.“A lot of groups love Portland and want to come here,” says Pizzuti,“but they look at housing their attend- ees and there’s nothing right by the Convention Cen- ter.It’s been our number one reason that we have been passed over for particular events.The hotel package in Portland has not been one that meeting planners are excited about because of its spread out nature.The hotels in town,themselves,are fantastic; they’re just not all here at the Convention Center.So,having an anchor hotel is a huge deal and it changes the pool of business that we can go after.” Pizzuti adds that the Center is embarking on a $35 million renovation project to be completed in ad- vance of the hotel opening.“Wewant to look like a brand new,fresh,desirable place to be,next door to a brand newhotel,rather than a 27-year-old build- ing,”he states.“That will take place between this time next year,and the following summer,to be completed bymid-2019.”The renovationwill be financed bya combination of the Center’s revenues,a portion of the transient lodging taxmonies,and some of its reserve funds.“Over the last fewyears,with Portland’s success as a destination,that fund has grown to the point wherewe can repurpose that money into capital proj- ects to prepare for the hotel,”he adds. Pizzuti believes that the renovation, coupled with the new hotel,will help the OCC increase its busi- ness,which will then positively impact the greater Portland community.“The more conventions we do, the better we service our region, our hotel partners, THE OREGON CONVENTION CENTER + Are you ready to get more from your energy? Call us at 1.866.368.7878 or visit www.energytrust.org . Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. ENERGY EFFICIENCY NEVER CLOCKS OUT. The great thing about energy efficiency is that it works 24/7. Better yet, Energy Trust of Oregon offers cash incentives and technical expertise to help you save energy and money with energy improvements. PREFERRED VENDOR n Energy Trust of Oregon www.energytrust.org restaurants, retailers, taxis–everybody benefits when we get conventions in town,”he declares.“So, the interest in the Hyatt, from the very beginning, was to increase convention business.We figure that’s five to ten new conventions a year–citywide conventions that are using not just one hotel, but additional properties.The average was in the 40 to 50 range; we expect that to grow to the 50 to 55 range.That changes our ability to deliver on the promise that we’re built on–to bring those outside dollars into town.” Now celebrating its 27th year, and with a new ho- tel on the horizon, the Oregon Convention Center is well poised to continue its award-winning service to the people of Portland,while serving as a showcase for the many groups and travelers who wish to hold their events in the Rose City.