The City Council approved the publicly financed hotel on a 9-6 vote in August 2005 after months of intense debate. The dissenters viewed the project as too risky, and one that could ultimately leave the city on the hook if the project failed.
"All of us in the state and the city knew we needed a convention center hotel if we were going to compete," said Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was mayor during the initial planning phase for the hotel.
"This was something we had to do for ourselves. Nobody was stepping up to do it for us. ... This isn't just about a hotel stay - it's about a city that is staying on the map."
The first guest
Yesterday, the Hilton's first official guest was someone with family ties to Baltimore, the daughter of Babe Ruth.
Julia Ruth Stevens, who now lives in Conway, N.H., was in town for an appearance today at the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards.
Stevens, who said she will stay at the hotel for the weekend, accepted a plaque from Mayor Sheila Dixon depicting Stevens' famous father. Dixon said it will be displayed in the hotel. Later, Stevens relaxed in the contemporary blue and rust colored lobby.
"I think it's magnificent," Stevens said of the hotel, "I'm overwhelmed."
Nearby, Matthew Mahoney and Michael Harder, both 14 and decked out in Yankees garb, milled about the granite lobby. The families from Mount Laurel, N.J., were in town for last night's Orioles/Yankees game.
Around them, white-gloved waiters served champagne, a jazz ensemble played and throngs of city and state officials and guests mingled.
"It's exciting," said Donna Harder of Mount Laurel, checking in with her son. "We feel so special."
Her friend, Lorraine Mahoney, said she had booked the rooms just a day earlier for the one-day trip.
She enjoys staying at Hilton Hotels and wanted to be close to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which is a block to the south. About 30 percent of the rooms at the hotel offer views of the baseball field. City officials are crediting the hotel with already helping the city to book a record number of hotel room nights for future years.
The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association said it had booked 451,608 room nights in city hotels through 2017 during the fiscal year that ended June 30 - an 18 percent jump over where bookings stood last year.
Tom Noonan, BACVA president and chief operating officer, said Baltimore's Hilton was all the buzz during a recent conference of the American Society of Association Executives in San Diego."It's like Christmas," Noonan said. "It's a critical advantage for us."
lorraine.mirabella@baltsun.com
The numbers
About the Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel:
* Guest rooms: 757 with about 30 percent offering views of the field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
* Development cost: $301 million, the city's largest-ever public investment
* Approved: In August 2005 by Baltimore City Council after months of intense debate
* Room rates: $209 to $299 a night
