Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today announced plans to introduce its popular Westin brand to Cleveland, Ohio. The Westin Cleveland Convention Center will open in summer 2013 in a prime location, adjacent to the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center complex. Owned by Sage Hospitality, the former Crowne Plaza will undergo a $64 million renovation prior to re-opening as a Westin. The Westin Cleveland Convention Center will offer 481 luxurious rooms, a full-service restaurant, 26,000 square feet of meeting facilities and the full suite of Westin signature amenities and services.

FROM THE "NBC TODAY SHOW" (Today Books):  Former President Bill Clinton spoke with Today's Ann Curry on November 8 about his new book "Back to Work".  During the interview, the former President mentions both the Cleveland Clinic and the Cuyahoga Community College for their continuing efforts to retrain those who lost their jobs during the recession.

FROM DESIGN DEVELOP CONSTRUCT (Winter, 2011 edition): Designed to bring buyers and sellers together, the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center (Cleveland MMCC) is the world’s first market facility targeted specifically to the medical and healthcare industry. The state-of-the-art facility integrates state-of-the-art permanent showrooms with world-class convention and conference facilities in a single structure to uniquely meet the innovation, education and commerce needs of the medical marketplace.

FROM WTAM-AM 1100: Work on the Medical Mart came to a halt Friday morning. At 8:45 a.m., Turner Construction halted all operations on the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center job site to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

FROM THE PLAIN DEALER: Construction crews began installing nine new, taller columns beneath Lakeside Avenue this week. Old columns were removed months ago, so workers could dig a lower floor, said Jeff Appelbaum, the county's pointman for the project.

The Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center Webcam has been reinstalled on the Standard Building at the corner of St. Clair and Ontario Streets. The Webcam provides an excellent overall view of the entire project and automatically provides hourly updates. The webcam is available to the general public on the Cleveland MMCC website at www.clevelandmedicalmart.com. 

FROM THE PLAIN DEALER: The outlines of Cuyahoga County's $465 million medical mart and convention center are taking shape downtown. With all demolition and excavation work complete, construction crews are forming the foundations and walls of what will become more than 500,000 square feet of medical showrooms, convention space, meeting rooms and a grand ballroom.