Seattle is booming. Thanks to companies like Starbucks, Amazon and Microsoft, just to name a few, its economy is expanding at a rapid clip. To accommodate the growth, it needs more housing, more services and more transportation. And also? More meeting space.
Fortunately, it's about to get a lot more of the latter: The city's official destination marketing organization, Visit Seattle, announced on Aug. 14 that Seattle's Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) has officially broken ground on a new building that will double the convention center's capacity for meetings and conventions.
Located one block northeast of WSCC's existing facility, the new building will be called Summit — named for Seattle's geography, as well as the dramatic staircase that will be the new building's centerpiece. The existing building, meanwhile, will henceforth be known as Arch, in honor of the famous sky bridge and canopy arch that bridges the facility along Pike Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.
While Arch has 414,722 square feet of space — including 205,700 square feet of exhibition space, 45,000 square feet of ballroom space and 57,000 square feet of breakout space — Summit will comprise 440,000 square feet, including 255,000 square feet of exhibit space, 60,000 square feet of ballroom space and 125,000 square feet of breakout space. As a result, WSCC will now boast nearly 1 million square feet of space.
The additional square footage will be a major boon, according to Visit Seattle, which said the city has had to turn down more than 350 event proposals in the last five years due to lack of space or timing constraints, costing the destination more than $2.13 billion in potential economic benefit.
When it's finished in 2022, Summit is expected to attract more than 400,000 new convention attendees to Seattle and generate more than $19 million per year in tax revenue.
"The WSCC's Summit building is one of the largest public capital projects in downtown Seattle's history and creates new opportunities to generate more economic impact for the region," said WSCC President and CEO Jeff Blosser. "This additional facility is a game changer for our ability to give meeting planners additional dates and space with the opportunity to book their events in Seattle."
Echoed Visit Seattle President and CEO Tom Norwalk, "Meetings mean business in Washington and our convention center's Arch and Summit buildings are an economic catalyst for Seattle as we now have the ability to fulfill excess demand for meeting space in our city. Thoughtfully designed and centered in the heart of our downtown, both buildings will provide an atmosphere that foster future innovation and connections."
New Hotels
Of course, cities that need more meeting space also need more hotel rooms. And Seattle is flush with them thanks to a number of new hotels that have either recently opened or are currently under development. Here are four of them:
• Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square: Opened in March 2018, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square is located in Pioneer Square — Seattle's first and best-known neighborhood. It has 282 studio and two-room suites with panoramic views of Seattle and Elliott Bay. Comprised of two glass towers, the hotel also has a restaurant; a bar serving food and drinks; a health club with an indoor pool, exercise room and sun deck; a six-story atrium lobby; an outdoor courtyard; and the 7,433-square-foot King Street Ballroom, which is one of the largest and most flexible ballrooms in downtown Seattle.
• The Charter Seattle, Curio Collection by Hilton: Opening Aug. 30, 2018, The Charter Seattle is part of Hilton's Curio Collection. Located near Pike Place Market, the luxury hotel will offer 229 guest rooms, a 2,500-square-foot fitness center, a restaurant serving Argentinian cuisine and Fog Room, a rooftop lounge serving cocktails, small bites and skyline views. There also will be a 24-hour business center and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
• Hyatt Regency Seattle: When it opens in early 2019, the Hyatt Regency Seattle will be the largest hotel not only in Seattle, but in the entire Pacific Northwest. Located two blocks north of WSCC's Arch facility, and adjacent to its new Summit facility, the 45-story hotel will have 1,260 guest rooms — including 30 suites — and 103,000 square feet of meeting space, not to mention a 24-hour fitness center and multiple dining outlets, including an upscale steakhouse, a casual trattoria and a bar specializing in handcrafted cocktails.
• Bellevue Kimpton: Seattle's hotel boom isn't restricted to Seattle proper. New properties also abound in the suburbs. Case in point: The Bellevue Kimpton, an upscale boutique hotel from Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Located in downtown Bellevue -- which is located across from Seattle, on the other side of Lake Washington — the new hotel is scheduled to open in 2019 and will offer 120 guest rooms and approximately 5,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as a full service restaurant, a heated rooftop pool with adjacent event space and lounge, and a fitness center.