When leaders from the city of Tempe, Arizona State University, the Arizona Board of Regents and Omni Hotels broke ground on a brandnew hotel on Sept. 17, they did so with an Arizona Supreme Court case looming overhead.
The $125 million Omni Tempe Hotel is officially set to open in spring of 2023 at Mill Avenue and University Drive on ASU’s campus. Peter Strebel, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts, was there for the event alongside Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, ASU President Michael Crow, Regent Bill Ridenour and John Creer, vice president of real estate at ASU. The groundbreaking occurred just days after the state’s highest court agreed to review two lower courts’ decisions regarding Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s lawsuit against the development.
The 16-story, 330-room hotel, according to a news release, will include 11 suites, four dining options, an elevated pool deck with a lounge and the “largest, continuous ballroom in Tempe.” The design will highlight Tempe’s culture and integrate nods to ASU throughout the hotel, as well as artwork from local artists and university alumni. ASU and Omni Hotels also hope the hotel will be a destination for meetings and conferences, with almost 36,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
