A new jewel joins a crown of attractions that’s around Lake Washington. The 12-story hotel Hyatt Regency Lake Washington has opened its doors to the public.

Perhaps the most-anticipated economic development of the year for the city of Renton, the hotel hosted its grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony Monday June 10, with appearances from Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin and Renton Mayor Denis Law.

The event and the buildup to the opening was grand in nature, much like the economic returns the city anticipates.

“While we haven’t tried to estimate an exact dollar value, we know the impact to the city of Renton will be huge,” said Cliff Long, the city’s economic development director. “Visitors to the new Hyatt Regency will shop, dine and do business across our community. The hotel’s unique location and sizable meeting space will allow conferences and events that we weren’t able to host before.”

The hotel has also generated about 175 jobs, most of which were filled by local residents according to Rusty Middleton, general manager of the hotel.

The hotel, sandwiched between the Boeing 737 plant and Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, offers 347 rooms and about 60,000-square-feet of indoor and outdoor event space. There is also a waterfront restaurant, and “The Market,” a 24-hour quick dining option.

The event space has been a popular draw for weddings and conventions. Around 55 weddings have already been booked so far, and multiple conventions are scheduled all the way out until 2021, including a PACAAR convention next year. A large reason for this draw is that this is the first four-star lodging option within a 10-mile radius of SeaTac International Airport.

Middleton said that while the hotel is “a benefit from a financial standpoint,” it is also committed to giving back to the community.

“It’s exciting to be part of the Renton community. We’ve been on our ‘Hyatt Thrive’ initiative, which is our program to giving back,” he said.

The Hyatt Regency was present at Arbor Day in April, sponsored the fireworks for the Fabulous Fourth at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park as well as Sunday’s Return to Renton car show. The hotel is also working with Make-a-Wish foundation.

Long called the Southport area “a gateway entrance into Renton,” and said the investment by SECO Development shows that “world-class development is happening in Renton and we believe it is the start of many things to come.”

SECO Development CEO Michael Christ bought the property from Puget Sound Energy in 1999, and announced the partnership with Hyatt Regency in 2015.

For more information, visit https://lakewashington.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html.