City creates bold plan to build buzz and business

It's a sleek, modern Sheraton hotel greeting visitors to downtown Hamilton.

There has been about $10 million invested in the 18-storey building over the past couple of years, and promises of $5 million more before the final coat of paint.

In advance of the fourth Hamilton Economic Summit coming up Thursday, The Spectator has compiled a list of 25 steps forward in economic progress that have happened in the city over the past few years. We've drawn it from the summit's top 100 stories — View from the Summit 2008-2010.

There is no ranking in that list and we're not ranking, either. It's heavily weighted toward Hamilton's downtown, but then again, that's where the most critical work is to be done.

The summit's list is meant to dispel the idea that Hamilton isn't moving forward on its quest to find a new economic future. The summit's goal is to transform Hamilton into Canada's top mid-sized city in terms of the attraction of talent and capital.

Our list is an eclectic mix of big and small projects and changes. Some are completed, while others are works in progress.

Back at the Sheraton, 80 per cent of the hotel's 301 rooms have been renovated so far. They now feature plush beds, plasma flatscreen TVs, wired and wireless Internet connections and polished bathrooms. The hotel's restaurant, Chagall's, and an adjacent lounge have been fully redone, and there are more meeting rooms and an expanded fitness centre.