March 18–LIBERTY TWP. — Developers of the mega retail project Liberty Center announced Tuesday they signed the AC Hotels by Marriott brand for the site’s planned hotel.

The 130-room hotel will be built, owned and operated by Middleton, Wis.-based Raymond Management Co., a hotel developer partnering with Steiner + Associates on the project.

Plans for a hotel were previously announced by Steiner for Liberty Center. Tuesday’s news revealed which hotel brand was franchised.

“Our tagline for AC Hotels is ‘feel the city.’ It’s very design-oriented and targeted very much towards the millennial traveler,” said Nina Herrera-Davila, a spokeswoman for Marriott.

Liberty Center, in the early stages of construction in Liberty Twp., is the name of the approximately 1.4 million-square-foot mixed-use shopping, office and residential complex planned for the intersection of Ohio 129, Interstate 75 and Liberty Way. It’s scheduled to open in September 2015, according to Columbus-based Steiner + Associates.

Steiner is the same developer of Easton Town Center in the Columbus-area and The Greene in Beavercreek. The Butler County project’s first phase is expected to be a more than $300 million investment encompassing 64 acres.

AC Hotels by Marriott is a new brand in the U.S., Herrera-Davila said.

Marriott International announced in 2013 it would introduce the AC Hotels brand to the U.S. in a joint venture with Spain’s AC Hotels. About 30 AC Hotels are in the development pipeline across the country, with the first opening later this year in New Orleans, La., Herrera-Davila said.

Currently there are about 79 AC Hotels open in Europe, she said.

The future AC Hotel at Liberty Center is expected to have approximately 130 rooms, 3,000-square-feet of meeting space, a second floor pool, and a library that serves as a business center, according to developers Steiner and Raymond Management. In the lobby, the AC Lounge will offer guests a full breakfast buffet. The hotel will also feature light meal choices in addition to offering cocktails, craft beers and fine wines, according to Steiner.

Patio and balcony spaces at the hotel will overlook the town square, the developer said.

The AC Hotel model features the lounge as the heart of the lobby area, Herrera-Davila added.

“This is not your suburban hotel. It’s definitely an urban feel,” she said.

A second AC Hotel is being built in downtown Cincinnati by a different developer, and is not affected by the Liberty Center agreement, Herrera-Davila said. Both the downtown Cincinnati and Butler County AC Hotels are set to open in 2015.

Along with announcing the hotel plans Tuesday, Steiner + Associates also provided an update on leasing for Liberty Center.

“As of today, the retail component of Liberty Center is over 50 percent committed and the project is on track for a fall 2015 opening,” said Yaromir Steiner, founder and chief executive officer of Steiner + Associates, in a statement.

Liberty Center tenants announced to date are department store Dillard’s, dinner-and-movie theater CineBistro, and pizza restaurant Pies & Pints.