The Midwest has been a popular venue for conference industry gatherings, and the 2025 WEC for conference professionals will come to St. Louis in June this year. Chicago is the main chapter hub for every industry association, and Minneapolis is the headquarters of several major award homes.
Hotel investment in the region is booming, especially in major cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis, as well as secondary and tertiary markets such as Omaha and Des Moines.
Explore 135 outstanding new properties with selected conference and reward planners
Here are five important/newly renovated group properties and venues in the Midwest and check out our just released report on 135 hotel meetings and reward trips.
1. BairdCenter (Extended)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In May 2024, the Baird Center in Milwaukee reopened in May 2024 and now totals 1.3 million square feet, 52 breakthrough rooms, 300,000 square feet of exhibition space and a rooftop banquet hall. The center includes inclusive facilities such as gender-neutral restrooms, sensory rooms and Mamava Pods.
2. Duke Energy Convention Center (renovation)
Cincinnati,
The Duke Energy Convention Center is underway for a $240 million renovation and is expected to reopen in January 2026. The renovation will modernize the existing activity spaces, improve the building system, add roof terraces and provide additional outdoor spaces that flow to the new Elm Street Convention Plaza. A new headquarters hotel is planned to open, adding 800 hotel rooms to nearly 3,500 hotels currently available and also offering 80,000 square feet of meeting space.
3.
Detroit, I
JW Marriott Water Square is a new hotel development in downtown Detroit, located on the former Joe Louis Arena website. The 25-story hotel will feature 600 rooms, an estimated 50,000 square feet of conference space and will be directly connected to the Huntington Square Convention Center via Skybridge. Construction began in 2024 and is expected to be completed in early 2027 at the second largest hotel in downtown Detroit.
4. Shinola Hotel in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, in
It is estimated that Shinola Hotel Indianapolis in Indianapolis will open at the end of 2027. The $300 million redevelopment will be a 13-storey high-rise with 170 rooms, a retail store, dining options, and meet three blocks of the Indiana Convention Center. The mixed-use development will offer a rentable 4,000 square feet of music venue and a pedestrian skywalker connecting Pennsylvania Street with Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
5. Signia in Hilton Indianapolis
Indianapolis, in
The 38-storey hotel, expected to open in fall 2026, will bring 800 additional rooms to downtown Indianapolis, and then will have more than 5,500 rooms connected to the Indianapolis Convention Center by the enclosed Skyline Action. The center itself is undergoing its sixth expansion, adding 143,500 square feet of space, including a 50,000 square feet ballroom.
