Boston – Boylston Properties Company, Inc. of Boston recently announced it is moving forward with development of a Marriott Residence Inn at 121 Brookline Ave. in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, near Fenway Park.
The 175-room hotel will be a Marriott Residence Inn and will have 6,000 feet of retail or restaurant space on the ground floor.
William McQuillan, President of Boylston Properties, said the development firm plans to begin construction in the fall, after construction documents are wrapped up.
“We’re delighted to bring a great hotel like Marriott Residence Inn to our favorite area of the city,” said McQuillan. “It is another great step in the continuing Fenway neighborhood revitalization, and we can’t wait to get the shovel in the ground later this year.”
The neighborhood near the busy Longwood Medical Area and Fenway Park, where a number of older properties or vacant lots are being redeveloped for new and active uses, is in need of additional hotel rooms. The new Marriott
Residence Inn is designed to be used by tourists, families of local students, business travelers — and of course baseball fans in town for Boston Red Sox games and other Fenway Park events.
The hotel location is a short distance from Kenmore Square, Boston University, and other colleges, the Museum of Fine Art and other visitor attractions, Boston Children’s Hospital and the many other medical and educational institutions of the Longwood Medical Area, and Boston’s Back Bay and Fenway neighborhoods.
The new Marriott Residence Inn location on Brookline Avenue is a short walk from public transportation, including the MBTA’s Kenmore Square Green Line Station, and Yawkey Station on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line.
The architect on the project is Group One Partners, Inc. of Boston, which is extensively experienced in hotel interiors and design. John Moriarty & Associates of Winchester, which recently completed the Art of the Americas wing of the Museum of Fine Arts, will be the contractor.
Despite a generally dim outlook for hotels since the onset of the recent economic recession in 2008, Boylston Properties has pushed forward to develop the location at 121 Brookline Ave. because of the need in that particular area of Boston.
The hotel will be operated by the Pyramid Hotel Group under a long-term agreement with Boylston Properties. The eight-story hotel will feature a fitness center with modern equipment and televisions, and parking for 50
vehicles below ground level. An enclosed rooftop pool area opens to outdoor seating and is topped by a stunning 100-foot-long pergola, bringing a distinctive view to the new building from the street.
“Marriott is very pleased to be working with Boylston Properties to develop the first Residence Inn by Marriott in the Boston Downtown core,” said Skip LaBarre, Vice President for Lodging Development in Marriott’s Eastern
Regional office, in Medford,MA. “The Residence Inn, which is Marriott’s premier extended-stay product, will be very well positioned in the Fenway area of the city.
“The proximity to the Longwood Medical Complex as well as numerous colleges and universities and historic Fenway Park is an excellent opportunity for Marriott. We are working diligently to bring this unique opportunity to Boston.”
Marriott Residence Inns feature separate living, working, eating, and sleeping areas, office areas with large desks and free Internet, premium television channels and pay-per-view, and business centers with computers and other office amenities.
In-suite kitchens include full-sized refrigerators, stoves, cabinets and sinks, with cooking equipment, and plates and glassware.
The hotel will meet or exceed Boston’s standards for sustainable development, which are consistent with and modeled on the U.S. Building Council’s LEED standard ratings.
Boylston Properties received approval from the Boston Zoning Board earlier this year to develop the property, at the corner of Burlington Avenue and Brookline Avenue, which it owns. A building on the site is currently occupied by Ace Ticket Agency, which will relocate.