By Lindsay Doty
The first full-service hotel in Hendricks County is open to guests, and tourism leaders are cheering after years of planning. The Embassy Suites by Hilton Plainfield Hotel and Conference Center located just off I-70 includes 174 suites, shuttle services to and from the airport, free onsite parking and more than 21,000 square feet of conference space.
Visit Hendricks County, an organization that aims to promote local tourism, hosted the first annual Indiana Tourism Conference at the hotel earlier this month. The group has been collaborating with community leaders, business partners and Plainfield government for nearly two decades to bring a full-service hotel and conference center to the county.
“The facility booked over $1 million in business before it even opened,” Visit Hendricks County Executive Director Jaime Bohler Smith said. “That is $1 million in new visitor spending, new tax dollars to the state and local government and new revenues to local vendors and suppliers, not to mention over 50 new jobs when it is up and running. This facility will not only increase the brand reputation of Hendricks County in the conference and meeting market but it will give an additional 20 years of life to the Plainfield exit.”
Tourism leaders hope the luxury hotel will continue to draw big events and dollars to the area.
“You can physically see the shift in the exit, and in our office we have seen our ability to market all of our conference and meetings facilities go up,” Smith continued. “It’s an exciting time – even more so because now this is complete, and we can focus on what’s next.”
