Mayor Phil Gordon and Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen cut the grand opening ribbon today and officially opened the doors of the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. The hotel, located at 340 N. Third St., is Arizona’s largest hotel and first to be built in downtown Phoenix since 1976.

“Today marks another great milestone for downtown Phoenix,” said Mayor Gordon. “The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel is a welcome addition to our skyline and serves as a key economic driver that will boost our local convention industry as well as our regional economy.”

Several of the hotel’s construction, design and management partners attended the event, as well as local business and community leaders. Following the ceremony, guests experienced the hotel first-hand on guided tours.

Financed by revenue bonds, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel is operated by Sheraton’s parent company Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. This is the company’s first property in the country to fully engage the new Sheraton brand traits – from design, layout, amenities, linens and audio/visual capabilities.

The interior design of the project incorporates artwork commissioned by local artists – from the lobby and meeting space to the Governor’s Suites. The tower roof is designed with a unique curve intended to reflect the nearby landmark, Camelback Mountain.

The hotel is the tallest in Arizona rising 31 stories. It offers 1,000 rooms, 47 of which are suites, more rooms than any other hotel in Arizona, and will accommodate more guests for events and meetings than any other hotel in the downtown area.

Located just one block from the Phoenix Convention Center, the hotel offers upscale amenities and contemporary décor. The hotel boasts more than 80,000 square feet of flexible, state-of-the-art meeting space, including a nearly 30,000-square-foot ballroom and a 15,000-square-foot junior ballroom.

Additional amenities include a fitness center, outdoor pool and sundeck as well as a lobby bar, restaurant and lounge with outdoor seating. The “Link @ Sheraton experienced with Microsoft” café will have an Internet café/coffee shop feel, where people can stay connected.

The District American Kitchen and Wine Bar is designed to meld into the fabric of the downtown Phoenix core, embracing its energy with open-air patio seating, live entertainment, local artwork and “First Friday” presence serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To date, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel has booked nearly 400,000 room nights, far surpassing their sales goal of 314,000 room nights.

The new hotel, along with the expansion of the Phoenix Convention Center, has positioned Phoenix as a top destination for conventions, corporate meetings and major sporting events like the NBA All Star game, which comes to Phoenix February 2009.