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JW Marriott Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States · JW Marriott · Accessible Luxury
Excavation for this 34-story hotel's underground parking in 2008 unearthed the buried ruins of an older masonry building on a block that had carried a 60-foot fire station cupola since 1887. The finished tower, a crescent of blue-tinted glass Indianapolis nicknamed "Big Blue," anchored the city's $450 million bid to land Super Bowl XLVI, opening in 2011 with 1,005 rooms, the most of any JW Marriott in the Americas at the time.
- 1,005 rooms
- Opened 2011
- Neighborhood: Downtown
- Rooms from 403 sq ft (37 m²)
About JW Marriott Indianapolis
- A climate-controlled skywalk connects the hotel directly to both the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, making it one of the most fully integrated convention hotels in the Midwest.
- Its 40,500-square-foot Grand Ballroom remains the largest ballroom in the state of Indiana.
- Conde Nast Traveler readers named it the number one hotel in the Midwest in 2016.
History
The block between Washington and Maryland Streets on the western edge of downtown Indianapolis has carried layers of history beneath its current footprint. Sanborn insurance maps from 1887 show Fire Station 6 standing on the site — an impressive structure with a cupola rising sixty feet, which served the city until the mid-1930s before being demolished. Various brick commercial buildings, residences, and a gas station occupied portions of the block over subsequent decades. By the time construction crews arrived in 2008, the excavation for the hotel's underground parking structure unearthed the partial ruins of an older masonry building, briefly interrupting work and briefly connecting the present to the layered past of a city block that had seen a great deal.
The JW Marriott Indianapolis was the anchor project of the $450 million Marriott Place development, a civic partnership between White Lodging and the City of Indianapolis — which contributed $48 million — to create the largest Marriott hotel complex in the world. The building rose as a 34-story, crescent-shaped glass curtain wall tower at 10 South West Street, its distinctive blue-tinted concave facade becoming a landmark on the Indianapolis skyline and earning it the affectionate local nickname "Big Blue." At 375 feet, it became the tallest hotel in Indiana and the seventh-tallest building in the city. The hotel opened in early 2011, winning Marriott International's Full Service Opening of the Year award and the Lodging Investment Summit's Development of the Year for 2011.
The numbers alone are staggering: 1,005 guest rooms and suites making it the largest JW Marriott in the Americas at its opening; 104,000 square feet of event and meeting space; a 40,500-square-foot Grand Ballroom that remains the largest ballroom in Indiana; a 20,670-square-foot ballroom; and 20,000 square feet of exhibit space. A climate-controlled skywalk connects the hotel directly to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, making it the most comprehensively integrated convention hotel in the Midwest.
The timing of the opening was tied directly to Indianapolis's successful bid for Super Bowl XLVI, played in February 2012, which generated an estimated $400 million in economic impact. The city's investment in Marriott Place was, in part, a calculated bet on its ability to host NFL championship-caliber events — and the bet paid off. Conde Nast Traveler readers named the JW Marriott Indianapolis the number one hotel in the Midwest in 2016 and recognized it among their top choices consistently thereafter. The hotel holds AAA Four Diamond status and has ranked consistently in the top ten JW properties worldwide for guest satisfaction.
Restaurants and bars
- Dean's Steak & Seafood Indianapolis — Restaurant
- High Velocity — Restaurant · American
Amenities
- Fitness center
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Indiana's Leading Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- Indiana's Leading Hotel Suite 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
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