Exploring the Possibilities: Hotel Addition for David L. Lawrence Convention Center

Written By Lourdes Rodriguez

Downtown Pittsburgh may be seeing a new hotel open on 10th Street that will accompany the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Rafael Vinoly, the designer of the convention center, anticipated a hotel of 500 rooms to be connected to it. After twenty years of the venue space opening, Vinoly’s vision may finally come true.

The idea of the project was sparked when Aaron Waller, Executive Director of Sports & Exhibition Authority, was approached by a hotel group. State Senator, Wayne Fontana, believes it may be Loews Hotels, a hotel brand known to inaugurate convention center developments. 

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Governor, hinted that Pittsburgh could be hosting the NFL draft in 2026 or 2027. The event will be attracting 300,000 people, and 40% will be tourists from outside the Pittsburgh region. This upcoming hotel project can help support the large demand of crowds for the NFL draft and other larger events. 

Fontana strongly believes that this project will bring in revenue from tourism which will benefit the local economy and attract more convention goers. “The folks that inquired are probably smart enough to know that there’s not only a need, but they know they’re going to make money there because there’s no competition.”

Jared Bachar, CEO of VisitPittsburgh, believes that there should be an assessment to predict the demand for the hotel. “We feel like if you’re going to build a headquarters hotel, the size of the convention center also needs to be worked out within the due diligence to make sure that the convention center can support the expanded inventory here in the local market.”