Startups

Think you can turn this hotel room into a thriving food or drink business?

Marriott wants your ideas for 500 square feet of its Inner Harbor location. The Canvas pitch competition is accepting applications through April 30.

Matt McDermott. (Courtesy photo)

In this pitch competition, you’re in charge of the food and drinks.
Marriott Inner Harbor is offering up a former meeting room that it wants to turn into a food and/or drink hot spot. Now, it’s up to entrepreneurs to figure out how best to fill it.
The project, called Canvas, is the latest local sign of a big corporation embracing startup culture. The competition s designed to combine local ideas and Marriott’s deep pockets to create a concept that works in the space.
Anyone with an idea can submit an application to Marriott by April 30. The hotel has gathered a panel of local foodies and business experts to pick the winner.
Apply
After six months, Marriott will evaluate how business is going and decide whether to keep it open.
Located at 110 S. Eutaw St., the hotel is only a few steps from Camden Yards. The room is off the main entrance, and has a 500-square-foot main room, with a pair of smaller rooms off to the side. There are also 12-foot ceilings, with floor-to-ceiling windows along one side.
Marriott officials stressed that the space doesn’t have to be a restaurant. They’re open to other ideas, like a bar, bakery or whatever you have in mind.
Two previous locations have already gone through this process. A Marriott in Phoenix is opening “Craft + Culture – Artisanal Cheese, Microbrew & Wine Café” in the coming months, as is a Marriott in Irvine, Calif., with “Chomp Chomp Nation – Singapore Street Food & Crafted Cocktails.”

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