tucson to see construction of unique two-brand hotel

Plans are underway for the construction of a hotel project in downtown Tucson that will add 350 new rooms to the city’s hotel supply.

The project will go up in the 300 block of E. Congress Street and will physically incorporate a portion of the adjacent historic Rialto Theater.

According to plans, upon the completion of the project, hotel guests would be able to attend performances at the famous theater without ever leaving the property.

At the same time, guests could also watch concerts held at the Rialto through a massive glass partition between the two entities.

Proposed by Tucson developer Scott Stiteler, the project will see the Marriot Element, which mostly serves business travelers, offering 149 rooms at the site, while the Millennial Generation-oriented Marriott Moxy Hotel will have 109 rooms.

The overall hotel structure will be 16 stories in height.

In order to move the project along, members of the Rio Nuevo District board of directors have agreed to offer incentives allowing for the Rialto to be closed for some 24 months in order to allow for the construction of the next-door hotel.

At the same time, the theater, which was opened in 1922 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will undergo renovation.

Part of that renovation will include the building of new green rooms and an office.

Construction of the hotel is expected to begin early next year, with a rough completion date of sometime in 2021.

By Garry Boulard

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