TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that it will manage Pittsburgh’s newest hotel to be housed in Three PNC Plaza, a 780,000-square-foot mixed-use “green” building complex now under construction by The PNC Financial Services Group Inc. in the heart of downtown. Fairmont Pittsburgh, expected to open in summer 2009, will be built according to sustainable design and construction guidelines. In addition to the hotel, the complex will include a 326,000-square-foot office building, the first of its kind in 20 years.
“We are delighted to place the Fairmont name on this hotel,” says William R. Fatt, Fairmont’s CEO. “The new location further extends Fairmont’s presence in the highly desirable northeastern portion of the United States while strengthening our commitment to responsible tourism.”
The hotel, which will be located at Fifth Avenue and Market Street adjacent to Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, will feature 185 guestrooms, approximately 12,000 square feet of meeting space including a 6,000-square-foot divisible ballroom, a lobby lounge and bar, an 8,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, and a three-meal restaurant.
In Pursuit of LEED
The entire building is intended for certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
“PNC’s commitment to building ‘green’ complements our own philosophy of operational sustainability and responsible tourism within the hotel industry,” Fatt says. “We look forward to developing a hotel that will embody the Fairmont Green Partnership program—a comprehensive approach to reducing our hotels’ impact on the environment.”
“We are excited about the opportunity to bring Fairmont to Pittsburgh,” says Gary Saulson, PNC Director of Corporate Real Estate. “The presence of this hotel supports the economic rehabilitation of downtown Pittsburgh and the region’s efforts to attract more convention and tourism business while complementing the PNC campus.”