Despite the cold winter weather, construction continues on the newest landmark set to adorn the Cleveland skyline.The 32-story Convention Center Hotel, to be operated by Hilton Worldwide, will connect the Cleveland Convention Center and the Global Center for Health Innovation to form a hub for downtown Cleveland and residents. The hotel is scheduled to be opened before the Republican National Convention comes to the city in 2016.The hotel's design features a 4-story podium that will feature ballrooms, meeting and retail space, and the lobby, to be topped by 28 stories of guest rooms and a rooftop bar.Occupying the last available site on the civic green, the 600-room hotel is expected to create 2,800 construction jobs, including at least 40 percent Cuyahoga County residency and 20 percent City of Cleveland residency. The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council has several signatory labor unions working on the site, including Iron Workers Local 17, Laborers Local 310, Pipefitters Local 120, IBEW Local 38, Sheet Metal Workers Local 33, and Carpenters Local 373.The $465 million Cleveland Convention Center was completed in June of 2013, nine months ahead of schedule and dramatically under budget, thanks in part to the 100-percent union workforce. Cuyahoga County used the savings from the Cleveland Convention Center project to fund part of the new Convention Center Hotel.The addition of the Convention Center Hotel will provide an essential hub for large conventions, offering many new opportunities for the residents of Cleveland and businesses worldwide. The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council is proud to have a hand in bringing this new hotel to Downtown Cleveland.