Herbert Edmund Hewitt, a prominent local architect responsible for many of Peoria's major buildings of the period, collaborated with Trumbauer on the project.

Its exterior design mainly emphasizes symmetry and linearity, a common architectural trend at the time.

The original first floor included a grand lobby and three large meeting rooms.

The Cotillion Room, the hotel's original ballroom, features a high domed ceiling, French window mirrors, and decorative plasterwork.

The Peoria City Council approved the final agreement with developer Gary Matthews to close the hotel for an extensive renovation and expansion into a full-service, upscale Marriott hotel.

[7] A 2020 indictment alleged that Matthews and Monte J. Brannan on charges of money laundering and mail fraud, including using investor funds to enrich themselves from 2008 to 2018.