Downtown Hilton to open ahead of Ohio State football opener

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The hotel that has changed the shape of Columbus' skyline is set to open before football season.

Christian Coffin, general manager of Hilton Columbus Downtown, said if all goes according to plan, they will open the doors Aug. 29, five days ahead of Ohio State's season opener against Notre Dame.

"There was a little pressure to make that [happen], particularly that first game," Coffin said. "We're pushing hard. And we're working well with our construction partners and our ownership group and all the different vendors. There are about 400-500 people working away three shifts a day across the street trying to get this thing open."

At 402 N. High St., the expansion tower of the Hilton Columbus Downtown sits in a cross-section of the city's busiest neighborhoods on any given weekend: Downtown, Short North and Arena District. It also sits across the street from the original Hilton Columbus Downtown that opened a decade ago. The two will be connected by a sky bridge.

"You could not ask for a better location … all the great shops and restaurants right outside our front door and Short North, Downtown, and the Arena District [with] all the great concerts [and] venues," Coffin said.

The tower is the tallest addition in Columbus in 15 years and will include several restaurants, bars, and more than 460 guest rooms, bringing the hotel’s total to 1,000 rooms.

"When you go to the 28th floor, we're going to have a sky bar called Stories -- probably won't be opening time for the Notre Dame game, but later in the season, we're going to get that open -- when you stand out on those decks … you can look out and see Nationwide Arena, Huntington Park and Crew Stadium all lined up in a row. The new Vets Memorial, COSI ... it's really spectacular. You can even see The 'Shoe in the distance. It's amazing," Coffin said.

To open on time, Coffin said they have around 200 full- and part-time positions to fill ranging from entry-level to mid-management and supervisory.

They hope to fill most of those at two hiring events:

• Wednesday, July 20, from NOON to 7 p.m. and Thursday, July 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, August 1, from NOON to 7 p.m. and Tuesday, August 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Candidates can sign up online here for Food & Beverage, and here for Rooms/Operations.