Walking through the construction site, you can begin to see the opulent hotel taking shape. From the 24-karat gold leaf being painted on the ceiling to the medallion inlaid in the marble floor, from the guest rooms appointed with plasma TVs and sumptuous accoutrements to the expansive spa, this Conrad Hotel and Residential Tower will be the first of its kind in Indianapolis.

Brad Lingle, Director of Engineering, offers the first glimpses of Indianapolis' first true luxury hotel.

"When looking at the end product, you don't substitute what you think is going to be right. You can't sacrifice quality in the end for the sake of getting the project completed," Lingle says. "You want to make sure the first room is as good as the last room and that each guest has the same experience."

Indeed. When the $100 million, 241-unit Conrad Indianapolis opens in March, it will be the fourth Conrad hotel in the U.S. and one of relatively few Conrad hotels worldwide. It will also be the first in the U.S. that was purpose-built as a Conrad. Between now and 2010, Conrad expects to more than double its portfolio to 50 hotels. Success in Indianapolis will be watched in advance of future projects in gateway and destination cities in the United States.

While the ultimate measure of success will be return customers, Lingle attributes the successful completion of this project in no small part to the partnership between the key stakeholders. Pre-opening, Conrad and Kite Realty maintained offices in the same building.

"We have a very close relationship. We're only a couple of floors up [in the pre-opening office], so if we have a question, we go. The climate of communication is very favorable. There isn't a lot of red tape...we can go upstairs and get a decision right then. To tell you the truth it's worked out wonderfully for us," Lingle said.

Why did the Conrad decide to open a luxury hotel in Indianapolis?

"There was a market need and there was no competition in Indianapolis in terms of an international brand. Mayor Bart Peterson was looking for a luxury hotel here and things worked out with Conrad," Lingle said.

The hotel features Restaurant du Soleil, Vistesse lobby bar, Spa Chakra a L'Institut de Guerlain, 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, a fitness center, a pool and a whirlpool.