In hunt of lead position, it started by putting its name in first place, changing the Seattle Airport Hilton to the Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center. Executives also brought in highly regarded employees, including Patricia Hawkins, a coveted Human Resources Director who was lured away from Atlanta. And it gambled on a first-class restaurant, opening Spencer's for Steak and Chops to battle the landmark 13 Coins down the street for a sometimes scarce airport-area dinner crowd.

The real money, however, was spent on a complete refurbishment of the existing hotel structure as well as the development of additional guestroom and meeting space. The hotel, directly across the street from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, now features 396 guestrooms and suites, a conference center with 26 meeting rooms and nearly 40,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center, and heated a swimming pool.

"It's a fresh, new departure from other airport hotels in this region, offering guests a wide range of facilities for all types of travelers," boasts Brad Jencks, area vice president, who will use the hotel as a base to serve other facilities in Washington and Alaska. "We are very proud of this facility and feel that it adds a new dimension to leisure and business travel in the Pacific Northwest."

Despite being a hotel, the word "hotel" is nowhere to be found--perhaps because the place no longer resembles the dark, tight and loud building that sat on the site for decades. The new facility is light and airy, highlighted by an expansive, comfortable lobby not seen in any Seattle airport-area hotel.

The conference center is highlighted by a floor-to-ceiling glass foyer leading to 15 conference rooms with nearly 24,000 square feet of meeting and pre-function space. The centerpiece of the complex is 11,000 square-foot Emerald Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 1,200 visitors for a reception.

Meeting rooms in the new facility offer fully integrated audiovisual connections, high-speed Internet access and videoconferencing capabilities. The hotel has a fully equipped conference and business center offering computer, copying, Internet access and fax services.

The 15-month project was steered by CM&D, the project manager; Absher Construction, general contractor, and HNTB, architects. The hotel is owned and managed by Hilton Hotels Corp.