The Empire Building in Birmingham, Alabama has been vacant since 2009 after Colonial bank moved out. In August 2015, Buford, Georgia-based Ascent Hospitality announced it would bring the building back to life with a $45 million project to include two Marriott hotels, a restaurant, event space and a rooftop bar.

The project includes the adjoining former Tony’s building and former Alagasco headquarters, which will be a Fairfield Inn and Suites. That building recently started construction.

The inside of the hotel maintains a largely neutral color palette with pops of turquoise, and blends the building’s historic touches like the antique chandeliers and marble staircase with new touches like bright blue paint and creative light fixtures.

The inside of the rooms almost feel like a whole different hotel – bright yellow accents create a totally modern feel. Each room has a 49-inch high definition flat screen TV and complimentary wifi. Each also has a “smart fridge” – meaning the fridges won’t use full power to refrigerate until something is put inside it, saving energy.

The Elyton will be part of Marriott’s Autograph collection. The only other Autograph hotel in the area is Mountain Brook’s Grand Bohemian Hotel in Lane Parke. There are more than 100 autograph hotels worldwide, and the concept is that each hotel will be different from each other and from other hotels.

The Elyton will have 111 rooms and six suites. It’ll also have a 710-square-foot gym. The neighboring Fairfield Inn will have an additional 120 rooms.