Officials broke ground this morning on a 142-room Cambria Suites Hotel next to the Consol Energy Center, the first step in the effort to bring new development to Uptown and the lower Hill District.

The all-suites hotel, being developed by Horizon Properties Group and the Penguins, is expected to open next fall, shortly after the new arena makes it debut sometime in September.

Penguins Chief Executive Officer Ken Sawyer described the hotel as a "first step" in the team's plans to develop not only that site but 28 acres of land across the street that includes Mellon Arena, which is scheduled to be demolished after the Consol Energy Center opens.

"It really shows that things are going to happen in this part of town," Mr. Sawyer said.

Among its amenities, the Cambria Suites Hotel, part of the Choice Hotels chain, will offer two flat-screen LCD TVs, a CD/DVD player, and MP3 jacks in each suite. There also will be a 10,000-square-foot restaurant on the lower level directly opposite a plaza for the Consol Energy Center, and a state-of-the-art fitness center with an indoor pool and spa.

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