The Manhattan Conference Center located within the Hilton Garden Inn on South 3rd Street is the largest conference center in Manhattan measuring a total of 25,000 square feet and is now negotiating with the City of Manhattan and the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce to expand by 12,000-14,000 square feet.
The project is estimated at $2.5 million and will feature nearly 8,000 square feet of additional conference space allowing several large conferences to be held simultaneously, as well as larger sole conferences within the entire space.
Funding for the proposed project will come from HCW, the owner of the Hilton Garden Inn, who will finance $800,000 and a one-half percent increase in transient guest tax supported by the Chamber Board of Directors and the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau will earn $130,000 annually. Guests of each hotel in Manhattan pay the transient guest tax during their stay and the current rate is 7%, determined by the City Commission.
The four parties involved (City of Manhattan, Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau, HCW) are working together to finalize funding and design plans before revisiting the City Commission for approval.
