Loews Hotels signs letter of intent to bring hotel to Pittsburgh's convention center

Loews Hotels has signed a letter of intent – planning to build a new hotel at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Governor Josh Shapiro's administration announced Thursday.

Mayor Corey O'Connor is among the leaders excited about Loews Hotels' plan.

"We had known this was coming, and we were just waiting for the final okay," the Mayor said.

The mayor says those involved have been working out the details over the last couple of months. The governor's office says the hotel will bring the city $418 million in total investments.

He says it will create 1,200 union construction jobs – and 400 permanent union jobs.

The state is also putting in $30 million in funding to support the project, Shapiro's office said, adding that the hotel will also be expedited into the state's Permit Fast Track Program, allowing for streamlined permitting.

"The governor's office, you know, talked to us early about, you know, some of the things that that the incentives that that have to happen to make things go our way," O'Connor said.

The new hotel is supposed to have 500 rooms, with a restaurant there too. The mayor says this will help the city land big, bigger events and conventions.

It comes after the city broke attendance records for the NFL Draft, with more than 800,000 people attending over three days.

"We have a really big one coming up in the next couple of years, and this hotel is going to be an anchor to that," O'Connor said.

The mayor said that when the groundbreaking is finished, he believes construction should take around 24 months.