Erie, PA – The Courtyard Erie Bayfront Hotel and Shoreline Bar and Grille are now open to accommodate visitors and Erie residents. The five-story, 107,000 square foot, 192 room hotel is located at 2 Sassafras Pier and is connected to the Bayfront Convention Center. It will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by Erie Events and managed by White Lodging Services.

Construction on the $58.5 million facility began in October 2014. The property has 14 suites, 65 king bedrooms and 113 double queen rooms. Selected rooms boast beautiful waterfront balconies with floor to ceiling windows. All rooms offer signature furniture and architectural elements with maritime décor. The property has a bistro, a fitness center, indoor pool, outdoor infinity pool and the Shoreline Bar & Grille, showcasing an outdoor seating area with magnificent views of Presque Isle Bay and breathtaking sunsets. There are four event rooms in the hotel, including a unique, lush 15,000 square foot Anchor Plaza that can accommodate up to 1,000 people for receptions. The hotel is also the only Courtyard in Pennsylvania that is pet friendly.

“We’re excited for this opportunity to be able to provide thoughtful design to accommodate the ever changing needs of guests,” said Stacy Tupek, Courtyard Erie Bayfront Hotel General Manager. “This property is in a great location, offering guests convenient access to the Bayfront Convention Center for meetings and conferences and quick access to downtown for nightlife, music and the arts.”

The Courtyard will employ around 90 people during peak season with 55 to 60 full-time employees and approximately 30 part-time. It will complement the existing 200 room, award winning Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel, which opened in 2008. The addition of the Courtyard affords the Convention Center direct connection to 392 rooms. The additional rooms are already attracting larger, and more, conventions which will provide a boost to the local economy.

This September, KAPPA – the Keystone chapter of APPA, Leadership in Educational Facilities will hold its conference at the Bayfront Convention Center with its members lodging at the Courtyard. Andy Wilson, KAPPA President, is the Courtyard’s first guest and is checking in June 23.

“If it weren’t for the additional attached rooms, it’s very likely we wouldn’t have been able to bring our conference to Erie,” Wilson said. “This is a state of the art facility at a great location.”

For 2017, the first full year of operation for the Courtyard Erie Bayfront Hotel, 12 conventions/conferences are already confirmed and will include the County Commissioners Association Annual Conference, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, PA Athletic Trainers Annual Conference, AFSCME Council 85 Conference, the Pennsylvania Municipal League, the National Fireworks Association and the PA Orthopedic Society, to name a few. These events are citywide, with anywhere from 400 to 1,000 hotel room nights booked for each event.

“The opportunities for larger conventions have significantly increased because of the nearly 400 sleeping rooms connected to the Bayfront Convention Center,” said Rob Mastro, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel and the Courtyard Erie Bayfront Hotel. “Before the addition, we were only booking conferences and conventions two years out, but with extra accommodations, we are now booking events more than four years in advance. Adding this beautiful hotel has created more chances to increase the number of conferences coming to Erie that will positively impact the local economy.”

A three-story, 283-space parking garage, connected to the hotel by a covered walkway, is now also open. The parking garage is located on the Bayfront Place property with two commercial/retail spaces at the north end of the ramp. The garage will service hotel guests and Bayfront Place visitors. The Bayfront Promenade encompassing the Bayfront Convention Center and Bayfront Place will re-open the weekend of the Fourth of July.

White Lodging named Stacy Tupek as General Manager for theCourtyard Erie Bayfront Hotel. Tupek previously worked as the assistant general manager at the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel.

About White Lodging Services

Established in 1985 and headquartered in Merrillville, IN, White Lodging is a fully integrated developer, owner and manager of premium brand hotels – a recognized leader that consistently delivers superior, leading-brand hotel experiences and premium returns on investment among mid- to-large scale hotels across the country. With over 25 years of expertise, White Lodging continues to break ground as one of the fastest-growing independent hospitality companies in the country. Its managed portfolio of more than 165 hotels in 19 states and encompasses representation of the leading brands. For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com or call 219-472-2861.

About Erie Events

The mission of Erie Events is to provide world-class convention facilities and entertainment venues throughout the region to visitors and resident, their families and friends. Erie Events strives to present a diverse selection of performing arts and sporting events enjoyable not just to residents of our own community, but also to meeting and convention visitors, travelers and vacationers.