Hilton Plans $200M Hotel, Condos

Touching off the famous New York City landmark hotel, Hilton has built four similar properties, and has developments in the works for eight more sites, including here. This is the company's first foray into Canada, a company spokesman tells GlobeSt.com. "We want to go to cities that are fresh and exciting, and Montreal was a good fit," he says. "We like to have locations in gateway cities that have a distinct sense of place, history and culture."The market has been good to high-brow hotel usage, the spokesman says. "The interest in this brand is exceptional," he says. "Our company is focused on luxury. The growth prospects are enormous." The new properties are going into such areas as Rome and Jerusalem, he says. "This is a world-wide brand," the spokesman says.The new property here is supposed to open by summer 2011. The 32-story tower will also feature 15,000 sf of ballroom and meeting space, restaurants, bars and a spa and fitness center. The address is 1500 Sherbrooke St. W.