Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Westin brand is set to feature for the first time in Mississippi, US, at The Westin Jackson – a public-private development costing US$60m (€54m, £39m), that aims to boost travel and tourism in downtown Jackson.

ESG architects is working on the hotel’s design, focusing on Jackson’s reputation as the birthplace of several American musical styles including rhythm and blues and jazz.

The design firm said: “The hotel design seeks to pay homage and celebrate these musical styles by architecturally exploring and interpreting some of the key musical instruments which helped shape and define the music itself.

“Within the varying instruments, sound is generated and manipulated in different manners, whether by string, reed, wind, drum, or voice, sound is then transformed into distinct musical styles by the artist with various rhythms, notes, and verse – these elements become the basis for the design’s architectural expressions throughout.”

Owned by Capital Hotel Associates and operated by Wischermann Partners, the nine-floor hotel will open in 2017 with 205 bedrooms, 12,000sq ft (1,115sq m) of meeting space and a resort-like spa.

The spa will house more than 6,000sq ft (557sq m) of relaxation space, seven treatment rooms and an outdoor whirlpool deck. There will also be a WestinWORKOUT fitness studio and an indoor pool at the property too.

Located in the heart of downtown Jackson, and within walking distance of the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Planetarium and Thalia Mara Hall, there are numerous activities to keep leisure guests entertained. Business guests are also only one street away from the Jackson Convention Complex, which offers 300,000sq ft (27,871sq m) of meeting and exhibit space.