Absher Construction Begins Work on Convention Center Hotel

Check out the article at the Business Examiner regarding construction of convention center hotel by local company, Absher Construction.  

Local officials are joined by Yareton and Interstate executives in breaking ground at the new Marriott Seattle Tacoma. Wielding the golden shovels were (from left) Robert Thoms, deputy mayor of Tacoma; Don Li, head of Asia Investment Group for Interstate Hotels & Resorts; Tacoma City Council Member Joe Lonergan; Mayor Marilyn Strickland; Chairman Chun Yang, owner of Yareton; Andrea Roper, district director; Elly Walkowiak, Tacoma business development manager; and Dan Absher, CEO of Absher Construction.

Convention center hotel breaks ground
Aug 9, 2017 

If the feng shui is to be trusted, yesterday marked a historic day in Tacoma with the groundbreaking of the long-anticipated 22-story hotel adjacent to the Tacoma Convention Center.

Chinese-backed Yareton Investment & Management had been approved by the City of Tacoma to build the hotel in 2014, and the City of Destiny had been waiting since for shovels to hit dirt on the project. The day that finally happened — 8/8/17 — was selected for “good fortune” by a fortune teller, a frequent advisor to Yareton’s Shanghai-based ownership.

So far, so good, with several local dignitaries in attendance at the groundbreaking and Mayor Marilyn Strickland calling the hotel a “game-changer.” The hotel will be branded the Marriott Seattle Tacoma, with Interstate Hotels & Resorts — parent company of Marriott — announcing today that Yareton had selected the firm to run operate the hotel.

"Interstate is privileged to be a part of this prestigious project - a milestone for the City of Tacoma as a destination of choice for conference and convention business," said Don Li, head of Asia investment for Interstate. "This is our second hotel with this ownership group, and it is deeply rewarding to grow our relationship with such a prestigious developer as we continue to expand our recently announced Asia practice."

"We are honored to work with such high-quality partners to bring this vision to life, creating an exciting addition to the City of Tacoma, its economy and vibrant community,” added Chairman Chun Yang of Yareton. “We look forward to welcoming guests to Tacoma and the new Marriott as a destination of choice for leisure and business travelers from all over the world."