Baxter was selected by Hawkeye Hotels to redevelop a beautiful city block in the heart of downtown Des Moines. The site is bounded by the redeveloped Court Avenue District, Principle Park, and the Des Moines River. The project consisted of clearing out several structures and configuring for two new hotels and parking structure to serve both. The challenges were to work with the neighboring property concerns, the city of Des Moines architectural review board, and at the same time maximize the ambiance of the site with the river and the downtown in general.

Residence Inn This 5 level structure has 127 guest rooms and features an indoor pool/hot tub, fitness room, business center, meeting rooms, and access to an exterior courtyard area with Bar-B-Q grill, Basketball Court, and sitting area for. There is a complimentary breakfast buffet with separate seating areas. A fireplace welcomes guests in the lobby area. The structure is a concrete podium with a four level wood frame structure. With the downtown setting and concerns for guest comfort the windows were upgraded to very high acoustical ratings and the selected mechanical system was fan coils with boiler/chiller. Guest rooms are large and spacious with kitchen spaces in the Residence Inn design. Guests park in the covered parking structure and enter directly into the hotel. This property is designed for longer term guests and as they proudly proclaim-It’s not a room-It’s a residence.