JW Marriott owner, developer Bruce White dies at 70

Bruce White, a developer behind hundreds of hotels across the country including the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis, died Thursday due to cancer. He was 70.

White's legacy lies in the numerous hotels he built with his Merrillville-based company White Lodging, most notably the JW Marriott near White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. White Lodging currently has hotels in many places, from New Jersey to Wyoming.

White, who was born in Crown Point, founded hotel property management company White Lodging in 1985. His relationship with Marriott began in 1990 when he built and opened the first Fairfield Inn franchise in Merrillville. From there, the imprint of White's hotels expanded rapidly.

White was the son of billionaire Dean White, who made his money in billboards and later real estate.

Mike Wells, president of REI Real Estate Services, met White in their fraternity Beta Theta Pi at Purdue in 1972. They remained friends for over 50 years and business associates for about 25. Wells and White worked together on the creation of the first franchised Marriott headquarter convention hotel in downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, which opened in 2001.

"It was very successful and really kind of took the convention business to another level in Indianapolis because it was built in conjunction with the expansion of the convention center," Wells said.

The two friends worked on over 50 hotels together across the country, Wells estimated. Wells said that White, a lifelong Hoosier, kept old friends close for his whole life, and always stayed true to his roots.

"He could have easily moved his company out of Indiana, to other locations that were closer to a lot of our hotels, but he was very loyal to the state of Indiana, as a real Hoosier," Wells said.

White left an imprint on the downtown Indianapolis skyline with one of his best-known hotels, the JW Marriott. Bruce White's billionaire father Dean White, along with his son and Wells, embarked on creating a 1,005 room hotel which would eventually become the JW Marriott.

"This truly is going to be an iconic project inside and out," White told IndyStar in 2009.

At 34 floors, the JW Marriott is currently the city's largest hotel. The project, which opened in 2011, was considered essential for Indianapolis to host large events, such as the 2012 Super Bowl.

“It’s hard to imagine the Indianapolis of today without the contributions of Bruce White," Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement. "From our reputation as a major host city to the skyline a visitor sees when they arrive, Bruce made an impact that won’t soon be forgotten.”

Eight years later, in 2019, White led an effort by Indianapolis hoteliers to oppose the construction of an 800-room Hilton Signia hotel, because it would compete with the Marriott, according to previous IndyStar reporting.

He was also a former trustee and longtime benefactor of his alma mater, Purdue University.

“In all its history, Indiana has produced few citizens the equal of Bruce White,” Mitch Daniels, former Indiana governor and Purdue University president emeritus said in a statement. “In a spectacular business career, his imagination and boldness created opportunities and wealth for thousands of others."

White is survived by his wife, Beth, as well as his three children, Corinne, Conner and Patrick, and grandchild Timothy James.

IndyStar reporter Binghui Huang contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana hotelier Bruce White dies at 70