This building is the central pivot in a plan to bring new life to the east side of downtown. Previously, the area was little more than one surface parking lot after another. With the expansion of the convention center, and the construction of the downtown basketball and hockey arena, this new hotel was a must. It is actually physically linked with the convention center via two skywalks, and is across the street from the arena. It is a rare punctuation in the neighborhood skyline, which previously ended with the Houston Center several blocks away. There has been little debate over the look of this hotel. While some projects like the Calpine Center and 1500 Louisiana became the center of furious discussion, the Hilton Americas-Houston, with it's bland appearance and wicker-basket facade, managed to slide under the aesthetic radar. That may be because it was caught up in a political spider web. The city has needed this hotel for decades. Large conventions wouldn't consider the Bayou City without it, and because of that, millions of convention dollars went elsewhere. For 30 years, people tried to get it built, but with so much greed swirling around the chambers at City Hall, it seemed like every politician wanted a piece of the pie. In fact, several were caught on videotape during an FBI sting taking a bribe in connection with the hotel. Councilmen Ben Reyes, John Castillo, John Peavy Junior, and Michael Yarbrough, and Port Commissioner Berri Maldonado were indicted. Reyes and Maldonado were convicted.