Former Crowne Plaza in downtown may become Dayton Vitality Hotel

A new hotel at that location would be helpful for downtown and the Dayton Convention Center, which needs hundreds of hotel rooms within a few blocks of the convention facility, said Pam Plageman, executive director and CEO of the Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority, which oversees the convention center.

Plageman said this project does not diminish the need for a nationally branded hotel right by the convention center, which is under development across the street from the facility.

“We’re cautiously optimistic” about the Dayton Vitality Hotel project, Plageman said. “There are a lot of groups that would use it, if they do what they say they’re going to do.”

“We are happy about all the hotels coming online,” she said. “That gives us more marketability, it makes the downtown core more attractive and people will come — we’ve seen it happen in other cities.”

A website for the Bright Hotel, a hotel management company, says the Dayton Vitality Hotel is one of its five hotel projects.

The company has other projects in Los Angeles, California; Memphis, Tennessee; and Orlando, Florida.

A website for the Dayton Vitality Hotel says the property will offer “modern elegance” and “convenient technology.” The hotel is supposed to provide state-of-the-art self check-in technology that eliminates the need for face-to-face interactions.

The company says its hotel rooms will have smart locks that guests can unlock using their mobile phones.

This project would help revitalize a building that is attached to the Dayton Convention Center via a skywalk. The property operated as the Crowne Plaza Dayton for most of its history but was rebranded a Radisson hotel the year before it shut down.

Bright Hotel has said it is working to get a portion of the hotel open for business, and then it will work to renovate the rest of the facility, likely floor by floor, Plageman said.

The Dayton Vitality Hotel could appeal to a variety of groups and travelers that want a nice, clean place to stay, Plageman said.

There have been many questions surrounding the future of the former Crowne Plaza since it closed.

Speculation about the property intensified when plans were revealed this past spring for a new “headquarter” hotel across the street from the Dayton Convention Center.

The headquarter hotel is planned for the east side of the convention center, on south Jefferson Street, next to the massive Oregon District parking garage. The Crowne Plaza is north of the facility.

The Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority earlier this week announced it has selected Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company to develop the new hotel.

The proposal calls for roughly 200 new hotel rooms, and the project could cost $60 million to $80 million. The project site is a plaza owned by the city of Dayton.

Local leaders say the convention center needs hundreds of hotel rooms close by to help attract events to the facility.

Downtown Dayton currently has two hotels in operation, which are located near the Day Air Ball Park where the Dayton Dragons play.

But new hotels are being constructed on North Main Street, near downtown’s large performing arts venues, and at the Dayton Arcade.

Plageman said the convention center badly needs a nationally branded hotel nearby that rewards points for stays to corporate groups, regional business attendees and major conventions.

“They want their points ... and they want to stay in a recognizable brand where they know what they’re going to get,” she said.

The convention center right now is undergoing $45 million in renovations to help modernize and increase interest in the facility. About 70% of the renovation work has been completed, officials said.

There are other key amenities near the Crowne Plaza property, like the Levitt Pavilion Dayton, the Fire Blocks District, the Oregon District and the Dayton Arcade.

This newspaper reached out to Bright Hotel Group and will update this story with their responses.