Mortenson Construction Joins Metro State and RNL to Top Off New Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center

Denver, CO – Mortenson Construction is pleased to join with Metropolitan State College of Denver and project architect, RNL, to announce the topping-off of the new Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center (HLC) on the school’s campus.  The topping-off took place on Friday, September 23.

 The HLC, located at the corner of Auraria Parkway and Speer Boulevard, will feature a 150-room SpringHill Suites® by Marriott, 28,000-square-feet of academic space within the HLC and 5,000 square feet of meeting and conference space. Sage Hospitality will manage the hotel.  The nearly seamless melding of academic instruction, interactive laboratories and real-world experience within the hotel will allow the College to offer an experiential curriculum for its diverse undergraduate student population, as well as current professionals seeking continuing education.

“The topping-off of the HLC marks an important milestone for this unique project which will provide a ‘real life’ learning experience to students of Metro State’s outstanding Hospitality, Tourism and Events Department,” said Bob Hansen, vice president of Mortenson Construction.  “Mortenson takes a great deal of pride in understanding the vision of our customers, and delivering buildings that exceed their expectations.  The new HLC is another example of the quality of our work, and our commitment to our customers’ success.”
                
RNL’s Richard T. Anderson, AIA, LEED AP, principal and project director, added, “We are thrilled to join with Mortenson Construction, Metro State, and the entire project team to celebrate the topping-off of the Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center. This important milestone brings the project one step closer to reality. I look forward to seeing students, faculty, hotel guests and business leaders learning from one-another and interacting in Metro’s state-of-the-art education facility and hotel in less than a year.”

The project will be one of less than a dozen similar experiential programs known nationally.  It has been made possible through a private-public partnership—no taxpayer dollars will be used. A special purpose corporation (SPC) was formed for the HLC and provides for its financing, construction, operation and management. The operating proceeds will flow to the Metro State Foundation for scholarships and academic program support. Site preparation began in January 2011 and the opening is planned for August 2012.

For the latest information and visuals about the program visit mscd.edu/metrostaterising/hlc/.

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About RNL
RNL is a global, full-service design firm specializing in sustainable, integrated design. Founded in 1956, RNL offers a continuum of design services, including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design and planning. In May of 2011, RNL was ranked #20 on Architect magazine’s The Architect 50, an annual ranking of American architecture firms.  RNL is headquartered in Denver and has additional offices in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. For more information, please visit rnldesign.com.