Coralville Hotel & Conference Center Marks 20-Year Anniversary with $1.1 Billion Impact
CORALVILLE (August 11, 2026) – The Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center, formerly Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, opened its doors 20 years ago in August of 2006. Think Iowa City, the area’s official destination marketing organization, hired Seattle-based Community Attributes, Inc. to research the history and economic impact of the property on the Iowa River Landing and larger community over the past 20 years.
The study revealed a $1.1 billion cumulative economic output and nearly $275 million in labor income across Johnson County, supporting 400 to 700 jobs per year. As the original anchor of the Iowa River Landing, the Hotel and Conference Center spurred the investment of approximately $416 million in additional building and infrastructure.
The Iowa River Landing draws roughly 4 million visitors annually, with its businesses generating more than $25 million in annual sales over the last 3 years. In 2025, hotel and conference center operations generated $24 million in direct output, supported an estimated 400 jobs, and produced more than $13 million in labor income to local workers across Johnson County.
“I think the numbers speak for themselves to the significance of this hotel and conference center,” said Josh Schamberger, President of Think Iowa City. “The size of the facility, the placement of the facility, and the proper care and management of the facility have all been key factors in the growth of not only the Iowa River Landing, but our community as a whole.”
The Hotel and Conference Center’s origins trace to a series of City Council goal setting sessions beginning in 1983, with the Council formally adopting development of a convention center as a goal in 1985. The concept built on Coralville’s longstanding identity as the “Hub of Hospitality,” a role the city had marketed to interstate travelers since the 1950s and 1960s. It also responded to a clear gap in the regional market as the Iowa City area was the only Big Ten market without a conference center, despite sustained demand from University of Iowa departments, faculty, and the region’s hospitals to host visiting groups. Iowa River Landing, including the Hotel and Conference Center site, is a former industrial area and power plant site that required remediation before it could be redeveloped as an economic development asset.
“The Brownfields program was a major focus of the federal government in the 90’s,” said Kelly Hayworth, Coralville City Administrator. “Because of the visioning process we put in place in the 80’s we were ready when the opportunity presented itself.”
As part of this work, Coralville was selected for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) brownfields pilot program in the 1990s, in part because of its small size. The City went on to receive more than 11 EPA grants supporting planning and redevelopment of the district. The pilot program required coordination across federal partners, including the EPA, the Economic Development Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The resulting investments provided flood protection that has proved critical during major flood events since development.
The subsequent master planning process, developed with the University of Iowa and private businesses, united the brownfield cleanup effort with the conference center concept from the 1980s and relocated the hotel from an initially proposed site near the interstate interchange to the riverfront, drawing visitors into the heart of the district. The City also deliberately sized meeting and convention space beyond what the hotel’s room count alone would support to generate demand for additional hotel and hospitality development elsewhere in the district.
Today, the property sits at the heart of Iowa River Landing, a 180-acre mixed-use district featuring more than 330,000 square feet of retail, office, residential, and entertainment space. The facility offers 288 guest rooms and suites, more than 60,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, including an exhibit hall accommodating up to 3,000 people, two ballrooms, 20 flexible meeting rooms, foyer space, and an outdoor terrace, along with a private wetland park and walking trail for guests.
“This study displays the results of master planning and public-private partnership at its finest,” said Schamberger. “From a vision in 1983 to Brownfield cleanup in the 90s to a creative financing process in the early 2000s, all of Johnson County continues to benefits from this premier destination.”
Read the full report by clicking here.
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