With financing problems said to be nearly resolved, renovations to guest rooms, corridors and other facilities at the Hilton Pittsburgh hotel should be complete in two to three weeks, an official of the Downtown hotel said.
"Nov. 1 is our target date for completion of the interior," said Mark De Intinis, assistant general manager of the 713-room Hilton, the city's largest hotel.
Soon after, work should resume on an addition that is to include a swimming pool, health club, expanded banquet facilities and other features, he said.
That part of the $25 million project has been stalled since July, after construction workers left the job site. Boca Raton, Fla.-based Shubh Hotels, which owns the Hilton, faced liens and lawsuits from contractors and others seeking tens of thousands of dollars in payments for services and supplies.
Harris Mathis, the company's chief operating officer, said Shubh secured new financing last month and hoped to get the Hilton expansion and renovation back on track.
Shubh also paid to Allegheny County some $45,205 in delinquent hotel/motel tax payments last month, but county Treasurer John Weinstein said this week the company still owed $36,958. Another monthly tax bill will be due Monday.
De Intinis said he expects the tax issue and other financing issues with venders to be resolved soon, so the project can move forward.
In mid-September, he said, Hilton Hotel Corp. representatives involved in brand performance, guest satisfaction and quality assurance visited the hotel and gave the renovation project good reviews. "They gave a very positive assessment of the progress being made" and offered suggestions, he said.
The renovation will reduce the Hilton's total number of rooms from 713 to 709 -- but the hotel will remain the city's largest. The second largest is the Westin Convention Center Hotel, with 616 rooms.
Interior work now wrapping up at the Hilton includes new carpeting, ceilings, painting and other improvements to guest rooms and corridors.
The project also includes renovation and expansion of the Promenade restaurant, which will offer breakfast and lunch buffets. And 300 square feet will be added to the bar formerly known as the Pub, to accommodate more seating, live radio broadcasts, promotions and private functions.
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