Massport Authorizes Omni To Develop Hotel Project in South Boston’s Waterfront District

BOSTON, 2017-Apr-21 — /Travel PR News/ — The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board of Directors voted today to authorize the authority to enter into a development agreement and lease with Omni Resorts and Hotels to build a 1,050-plus room hotel on Summer Street in South Boston’s Waterfront District. Six proposals for the hotel project were submitted last April, and three were selected to move forward in the process. A selection panel reviewed and ranked the proposals based on a number of criteria and Omni’s proposal came out on top. Omni is making a $550 million investment in the project that is expected to bring 700-1,000 permanent jobs to the area, not including the expected 1,100 construction jobs.

“As Boston’s Seaport continues to develop and bring new economic growth and prospects to the City of Boston, we look forward to what this important project will mean for the neighborhood,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Our administration looks forward to working with all stakeholders involved to develop this property for hotel, retail, restaurant, and outdoor use to further support the Commonwealth.”

The proposed hotel on the two- acre parcel is expected to open in early 2021 and will be a one-of-a-kind, two-tower, luxury Omni property. The new hotel will feature a spa and fitness center, an event terrace, elevated pool deck, a fine dining establishment, casual dining, bar, and a variety of retail venues. It will boast more than 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 25,000-square foot grand ballroom, the largest in any hotel in Boston.

The hotel design includes:

• 2 towers with 1,054 total rooms
• 800,000 sq ft of total space
• 120,000 sq ft of meeting and event space
• 8,500 sq ft spa/fitness center
• 40,000 sq ft of retail space to invigorate Summer St., D St. and World Trade Center Ave
• Covered walkway along World Trade Center Avenue to the MBTA Silver Line station
• Pedestrian bridge between the hotel lobby and the South Boston Waterfront Transportation Center.

“I would like to thank the Massachusetts Port Authority Board of Directors for this opportunity, as well as all our partners involved with this landmark project,” said Jim Caldwell, CEO and President of Omni Hotels & Resorts. “We have deep New England roots with both the Dunfey Family as founders of the Omni brand, and our signature Omni Parker House. We’re going to take our rich history, complemented with an exceptional partner in the New Boston Hospitality Group, and together we will develop one of the pre-eminent multi-use lifestyle/hospitality facilities in the country.”

In conjunction with event space, retail and dining options and other public amentities, the project‘s location directly across the street from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will benefit the entire district. Included in the project‘s public amenities will be a new covered walkway leading guests to and from the MBTA World Trade Center Silver Line station. Parking for hotel guests will be located in the new South Boston Waterfront Transportation Center. The Transportation Center, anticipated to open in early 2018, will consist of a 1,550 space parking facility with electric vehicle charging stations, bike share and car share options directly adjacent to the Silver Line station.

“Omni is a highly regarded hotel owner and operator in the convention industry. Their Summer Street project across from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will be a key selling point as we compete to bring events to Boston from around the world,” said David Gibbons, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “Congratulations to Massport CEO Tom Glynn and his team as well as Omni Hotels & Resorts for delivering much needed hotel inventory to South Boston so we can continue attracting high-profile events to our world-class city.”

Omni provides guests truly unique and authentic local flavor at each of its’ hotels in leading business gateways and leisure destinations across North America. The Omni brand is a recognized leader in the convention center, resort and urban hotel business, with extensive experience, including innovative, market-leading convention center hotels in Nashville, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Diego and Atlanta. The luxury brand also has development of a convention center hotel underway in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as two mixed-use developments in Frisco, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.

“The South Boston Waterfront is a hub for business travelers and tourists alike. This new hotel will serve visitors while adding to Boston’s strong credentials as a premiere destination for the global economy,“ said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “Omni is a national hotel leader with more than 60 hotels across North America and we are looking forward to working with them on this exciting project.”

One new aspect to the Request for Proposals (RFP) process was a specific section dedicated to diversity and inclusion. Omni, along with a team of highly experienced local real estate professionals from New Boston Hospitality collaborated to create a proposal featuring an innovative hotel and mixed-use design concept, focused largely on public amenities, along with a pioneering investment structure for non-profits and minority and women owned-businesses and individual investors that will share in the revenues of the new development.

Omni‘s comprehensive diversity and inclusion plan includes unsurpassed minority and women business owned participation across the board in design, construction, development team and hotel operations. New Boston Hospitality is comprised of The Davis Companies, Spot On Ventures, and 17 local minority investors who have pledged to co-invest in the project, as well as Boston Urban Development, a local minority and women-owned business.

SOURECE: Massport

Subscribe to Notifications