黄瓜社区

The long-awaited Hilton Des Moines Downtown hotel officially opened its doors to the public in a grand opening event on March 21, 2018. The 8-story, 330-room contemporary hotel is adjacent to the Iowa Events Center and is connected to the Des Moines downtown skywalk system. The new facility encapsulates a total of 317,638 square feet, delivers full-service guest amenities, and more than 14,000 SF of meeting space in the core of Des Moines鈥檚 convention and entertainment district. The state-of-the-art venue provides the city with expanded event opportunities and the enhanced ability to attract organizations and conferences from around the country.

The innovative downtown property is the result of a collaborative design effort between , , , and , and ownership representation provided by .

鈥淥ur teams were thrilled to work alongside Hilton to help enhance Des Moines鈥檚 convention business,鈥� said . 鈥淏y designing an active, inviting space for event goers and Des Moines residents, we are creating more opportunities for the city at large, and helping position the Iowa Events Center as a strong competitor for regional and national conventions.鈥�

First Class Amenities

Visitors and locals can take advantage of an outdoor entertainment space and terrace on the second level that overlooks the downtown skyline and the capital building down Park Street. The second floor is home to technology-rich meeting spaces, including a large, flexible 10,000-square-foot ballroom, individual meeting rooms, and an array of wide open pre-function corridors allowing ease of access during events. A parking structure beneath the building provides on-site, dedicated spaces for visitors.

Smart guestrooms offer visitors the ability to check in, set room thermostats, customize guestroom TVs and other technology directly from their phones. The hotel features state-of-the-art audio/video systems and utilizes high-efficiency LED lighting throughout. The lighting system is 100% controllable by advanced control technology to maintain user comfort and maximize energy savings. Lighting system control is via user-friendly touchscreen control pads located in all the public meeting and lobby areas. The central lighting controllers are also remotely addressable by the manufacturer and the Hilton facility management team to facilitate event scheduling, lighting energy use, and system software and firmware updates as needed.

A Team of Experts to Enhance the Des Moines Skyline

The Hilton Des Moines Downtown, a two-year-long project that brought together local and national design expertise, serves as a catalyst to drive downtown economic growth and increase the city鈥檚 presence worldwide. Des Moines-based firm 黄瓜社区; Design served as the Architect of Record. With more than 50 years of experience working in Des Moines, and in the city鈥檚 downtown core, 黄瓜社区 provided critical guidance on assembling a team that could design and produce a world-class convention hotel.

鈥溁乒仙缜�; Design is proud to have served as the Architect of Record, leading an incredible team of consultants along with the Weitz Company, as general contractors, in delivering the Hilton Downtown Des Moines to Polk County and the City of Des Moines,鈥� said 黄瓜社区鈥檚 Davis Sanders, project manager. 鈥淲e are confident the hotel will help the Iowa Events Center achieve an entirely new regional and national level attracting events and conventions previously not possible.鈥�

黄瓜社区 also served as project landscape architects, lighting designers, and architects and interior designers on the two skywalks connecting the Hilton Downtown Des Moines to the Iowa Events Center and downtown Des Moines. Global architecture and engineering firm DLR Group led the design of the hotel, which aimed to redefine and activate the intersection at 5th Avenue and Park Street. The hotel鈥檚 new restaurant, Park Street Kitchen, anchors the corner of the property, while the building鈥檚 architectural design uses linear massing to emphasize the border and edges of the existing Iowa Events Center civic buildings.

In contrast, a vertically patterned frame rises above the horizontal bars of 8-story the guest tower. The sculptural frame encapsulates the large glass fa莽ade facing downtown and helps define the gateway to the Iowa Event Center. Broad, operable windows and glass welcome guests into the restaurant and public spaces, connecting the lobby to the pedestrian street frontage.

鈥淲e used abundant glass and lighting features throughout our design,鈥� said, AIA, lead designer for the firm鈥檚 Hospitality Studio. 鈥淥ur goal is to showcase the city鈥檚 urban setting and sights, and make the hotel an active civic building that invites people inside and gives them something to remember.鈥�

A high-tech theme runs throughout the building鈥檚 interior and exterior design, paying homage to companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook that have found a home in Iowa.

鈥淒es Moines is a growing technology hub and several elements of the hotel incorporate patterns following this theme of technology,鈥� said Murch. 鈥淭he guestroom windows, for example, use a random binary pattern similar to barcodes to add visual interest to the fa莽ade.鈥�

Anderson Miller Ltd., which is based out of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, led the interior design of the project using visual cues from the exterior building envelope. The guest journey begins with two unique arrival locations into the space: the main entry and the city鈥檚 skywalk system.聽 The use of a central wood slated structure in the lobby recalls the digital theme of the hotel鈥檚 exterior and provides a sense of warmth to the large glass envelope. Similar to a circuit board, various social zones are linked cohesively by a central gathering space and create intimate landing spots for the guests.

鈥淭he design intent was to alter the guest鈥檚 perception of Des Moines as an agricultural city to that of a multi-faceted digital nerve center,鈥� said Anderson Miller鈥檚 Dana Irvine, project manager. 鈥淚nterior design elements such as carpet patterns, wall finish details, and specialty light fixtures recall the high-tech theme, while local art enhances the city鈥檚 cultural vibe.鈥�

The Weitz Company was the developer and general contractor overseeing the construction of the Hilton Des Moines Downtown. Weitz collaborated diligently with all parties to deliver what is now a first-class hotel.

鈥淔rom the beginning, our intent has been to finish the project in style,鈥� said . 鈥淚t has taken a long list of experts to successfully design and build this project, and Weitz has taken the most advanced measures to deliver the project efficiently.鈥�

Project Management Consultants, LLC (PMC) represented the ownership entities, helping manage the project from beginning to end. 鈥淭he Hilton Des Moines Downtown brought together a team of designers, contractors, hotel operators, and consultants that shared a common vision and goal,鈥� explained . 鈥淭he result of this collaborative effort is a catalytic hotel for Des Moines and a truly memorable experience for its guests.鈥�