By the end of 2008, motorists on I-15 in Pleasant Grove will see a 14-story hotel that looks like nothing else in the area and a 100,000-square-foot convention center.

John Q. Hammons of John Q. Hammons Hotels unveiled pictures of the future Embassy Suites Hotel and convention center in a meeting with city and county officials Tuesday. The hotel, which will sit on a 50-acre parcel in the city's Gateway Center, will be concave on one side, convex on the other.

"You can't miss this structure from the freeway because it is so different," Hammons said.

"I'm convinced that in the near future, Salt Lake City will learn that there's a competitive force in Utah and it's not too far away," he added.

Pleasant Grove Mayor Mike Daniels said the building may be a one-of-a-kind hotel.

"Without stealing John Q.'s thunder, I will say that it is unique. It is probably the most unique Embassy Suites in the United States," Daniels said after Hammons unveiled a picture of the proposed hotel.

Since the initial announcement of the project in July 2006, "due diligence has taken place," Daniels said. "The city has recently closed on bonds and the partners are here this week to sign on the land deal. The caliber and the class reach far beyond anything found in Utah County. The real story is about economic development and inspiring others to come and invest in this area."

The 100,000-square-foot convention center will include meeting rooms and a formal ballroom. There will be at least three restaurants at the site, Hammons said.

Construction of the hotel and convention center is expected to kick off in June 2007 with an anticipated opening in October 2008. The groundbreaking for an addition 220-room Courtyard by Marriott is slated for 2008 followed by a 2009 debut. Once operational, the facilities are expected to create the equivalent of 350 to 400 full-time jobs.

Adjacent to the hotel and convention center will be a lifestyle retail center with a combination of retailers, office space and housing, an office park and corporate center. A second hotel with 200 rooms is scheduled to be completed in September 2010.

"None of this happens without a team," Daniels said. Many of those involved in the process were in attendance at the meeting including John Q. Hammons Hotels senior vice-president Scott Tarwater, property owner Dennis M. Baker, Lindon Mayor Jeff Acerson, members of the Lindon and Pleasant Grove city councils and Alpine School District Superintendent Vern Henshaw.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D4.