Dolce to Unveil Its New Urban Hotel Model in Downtown Indianapolis | Exterior — Photo by Dolce
Dolce to Unveil Its New Urban Hotel Model in Downtown Indianapolis | Interior — Photo by Dolce

Dolce Hotels and Resorts has signed an agreement to manage a 157-room hotel soon to be constructed in downtown Indianapolis designed to be the company's model for future urban hotels: a hybrid between a center-city lifestyle and conference hotel.

Steven A. Rudnitsky, Dolce president & chief executive officer, said the hotel – expected to open in the fall of 2012 – will cater to individual business and leisure travelers, provide group clients with a specialized meetings venue and become a "compelling, sophisticated social gathering point" for people who live and work in downtown Indianapolis.

Embedded between the first-floor retail and third-floor guest room levels, the hotel will feature 16 meeting rooms totaling 15,000 square feet of function space including a rooftop boardroom offering vistas of the city, all to be certified by the International Association of Conference Centers.

The hotel's conference center is expected to include a significant investment in top-of-the-line audio-visual technology. Additionally, a Cisco TelePresence facility is expected to be developed within the hotel complex. High-speed, wireless Internet service will be available throughout the building, a Dolce brand standard.

Planned dining facilities include a full-service restaurant, an American-style brasserie and 1,200-square foot lounge with a commanding view of the downtown skyline. The hotel's fitness center is expected to be complemented by access to a nearby, state-of-the-art, 75,000-square-foot downtown YMCA. A centerpiece public plaza is contemplated as part of the overall project.

"We plan to create the kind of warm, welcoming feeling that individual and group travelers appreciate when they arrive in a city," Rudnitsky said. "We want people who live and work in Indianapolis to feel comfortable walking in and spending time in our stylish lounges and restaurants. We want this hotel to become their favorite place."

The hotel is a key component of a $155 million, mixed-use project being developed by national developer Buckingham Companies. It includes multiple midrise, mixed-use buildings on approximately 15 acres bracketed by Virginia Avenue, South Street and Delaware Street. The property is adjacent to four of Indianapolis' largest employers: Eli Lilly and Company, WellPoint Inc., Rolls Royce and Indiana Farm Bureau.

"This project has the potential to transform this area of downtown," said Scott Travis, senior development executive at Buckingham. "The final product will represent the best in mixed-use, livable communities and spur even more investment into this important downtown quadrant."

Founded in 1984, Buckingham is a full-service, fully integrated, national real estate company providing a platform that includes the development, acquisition, management and construction of a wide variety of property types including multifamily, student housing and mixed-use communities. Buckingham manages nearly $1 billion of real estate assets for its own account and third-party owners and institutional partners. More than 100 properties consisting of nearly 20 million square feet of property and approximately 20,000 rental units nationwide comprise the managed portfolio.

About Dolce Hotels and Resorts

Headquartered in Rockleigh, New Jersey, Dolce Hotels and Resorts operates 26 upscale hotels, resorts and conference-focused properties through North America and Europe. The portfolio features U.S. addresses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, as well as properties in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain. All distinct in design and uniquely suited to their locations, Dolce properties feature freshly sourced culinary experiences and inspiring environments that bring people together for meetings and events. Dolce pioneered the Complete Meetings Package, now embraced by many hotel companies and the International Association of Conference Centers as a standard. Dolce Hotels and Resorts is continuing to expand throughout the U.S. and Europe. www.dolce.com

Rich Roberts
for Dolce Hotels and Resorts
717-685-4142
Dolce