Ribbon Cutting Set for UW Hotel/Conference Center

January 31, 2008 — Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are scheduled Monday, Feb. 4, at 9 a.m. for the Hilton Garden Inn and University of Wyoming Conference Center at 22nd Street and Grand Avenue in Laramie.

The project comprises the 135-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 13,000-square-foot conference center that can accommodate more than 900 guests for meetings and more than 500 for banquets and special events. A Great American Grill restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The facility is part of a planned nine-acre commercial and retail development area known as UW Plaza that will feature restaurants, professional offices, and a variety of retail stores.

"I am delighted that this long-awaited center is opening for business," says UW President Tom Buchanan. "This attractive area will provide essential services, and generate revenue for the university and the Laramie community."

The $15 million Hilton Garden Inn is owned and managed by Hotel Investment Services (HIS) of Troy, Mich., on land leased to it by UW. The conference center, estimated to cost $8.2 million, was built using funds donated to the university through the UW Foundation, which owns the center. Donors include the McMurry Foundation and the estate of UW alumna Clara Toppan. HIS will manage the center under an agreement with UW.

Financing for the hotel and conference center was arranged in part by the Wyoming Business Council, which guided the developers to enabling funding opportunities.

The retail space along Grand Avenue is being developed by Grand Avenue Land Partners, LLC, and marketed by Wheeler Commercial Property Services, LLC, of Fort Collins, Colo. The Hilton Garden Inn offers an indoor recreational center with pool and exercise facilities and two complete business centers with complimentary Internet services.

For more information visit www.uwconferencecenter.com or call (307) 745-5500.