DULUTH, Ga.

A Norcross, Ga.-based company has proposed building a $57 million upscale hotel at Gwinnett Center in Duluth.

Nilhan Hospitality would build a Marriott hotel at the county-owned facility at no expense to taxpayers. The firm is seeking a long-term lease of property at the convention complex for $1 a year.

Gwinnett Center includes a convention center, ballroom complex, a performing arts center and a 13,000-seat arena. It hosts about 600 events a year, drawing 1.2 million visitors.

A hotel has long been planned for Gwinnett Center. Convention officials say an on-site hotel will help them compete for large events organized by groups that don't want attendees at off-site hotels, even one across the street. The convention bureau sought bids more than four years ago, but the poor economy delayed the project.