Washington, D.C.’s plan to build a headquarters hotel for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is caught in a legal snag, but officials hope to resolve the issues and break ground by the end of the year.

According to an article in the Washington Business Journal, a developer, JBG Cos., filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court asking the courts to delay construction because of a dispute the company has with the city regarding the contracting process.

In the spring, the city awarded Marriott International the project, allowing the hotel giant to build a 1,167-room Marriott Marquis on Massachusetts Avenue across from the convention center. In July, funding was approved, with groundbreaking slated for this fall. The city is asking the court to expedite consideration of the lawsuit.

“We’re anxious to move forward and have a groundbreaking this year,” says Gregory O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of the Washington Convention and Sports Authority.

In other hotel news, city and county officials in Columbus, Ohio, chose Hilton Worldwide to run a new 500-room headquarters hotel, which will be built across the street from the Columbus Convention Center. Construction is expected to begin next summer, with completion slated for fall of 2012.