Omni Hotels & Resorts, Governor Baker, Mayor Walsh, MAssport and Community Celebrate Breaking Ground on Boston Seaport Hotel

$550 million project is groundbreaking in diversity participation and inclusion; Model for non-profit community partnerships

BOSTON (May 22, 2018) — Executives from Omni Hotels & Resorts along with Governor Charlie Baker, Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and New Boston Hospitality, broke ground today on the highly anticipated Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport. The city’s fourth largest hotel will reflect the rich history of the city of Boston while providing guests with the ultimate Omni experience.

“This project’s hotel, retail, restaurant and outdoor space is a welcome addition to Boston’s Seaport District and will lead to expanded economic opportunities for many businesses within the Commonwealth,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Our administration looks forward to continuing to work together with partners at the local level and in the private sector to support economic development in communities across Massachusetts.”

National hotel leader Omni Hotels & Resorts, along with a team of highly seasoned, local real estate professionals from New Boston Hospitality, were designated by Massport in 2017 to develop the state-of-the-art hotel.  The team committed from the outset to include equity participation from an unprecedented level of minority and women-owned investors and businesses.

Set to open in late 2020 on the two-acre parcel of Massport-owned land at the corner of Summer and D Streets, the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport will be a catalyst to the  development in the Seaport District. The hotel will feature 1,055 finely appointed guest rooms inclusive of 52 suites that will top out at 21 floors. Select suites will feature views of the Boston Harbor. Other hotel highlights include:

• Food & Beverage: The culinary experiences at Omni Boston Seaport Hotel will include an all-day restaurant and collaborative workspace, lobby lounge, entertainment lounge, French brasserie and boulangerie as well as an elevated pool bar and grill.
• Meetings & Events: The hotel will house approximately 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space that includes the largest hotel ballroom in Boston’s Seaport District, along with breakout rooms, outdoor and pre-function spaces.
• Lifestyle: Guests will have access to an urban rooftop pool deck located on the fourth floor. The pool deck will have an optional space which will allow guests to host year-round events featuring views of Boston’s skyline. In addition, guests can relax, unwind and beautify at the signature Mokara Spa that is complete with a fitness center and blow dry hair bar that will be available to hotel guests as well as locals via street access. The hotel will also feature a curated retail shop with items from local purveyors.

“Today marks more than just a groundbreaking, it’s a celebration of the diversity and inclusion this project represents from its design, to its contracting, to its nonprofit partners,” said Mayor Walsh. “The Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport is a welcome addition to our city, providing better public access to the waterfront, improving walkability to the area and investing in our workforce. I look forward to seeing the vision for this hotel come to life, for the benefit of Boston’s residents and visitors alike.”

“Boston is a premier destination and we are incredibly excited to be a part of the city’s continued evolution – especially in the Seaport District,” said Peter Strebel, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts. “We look forward to working together with Massport, New Boston Hospitality, Governor Baker and Mayor Walsh to establish the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport as an unforgettable destination for years to come.”

In addition, six local non-profit organizations will receive a portion of the hotel’s profits, including The Edgerley Family South Boston Clubhouse of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, The South Boston Community Health Center, Julie’s Family Learning Center, Ladies Involved in Putting a Stop To Inner-City Killing (LIPSTICK), The Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester and the Building Pathways Program, a pre-apprenticeship program that provides construction career opportunities to low-income Boston residents.

“This groundbreaking not only signifies the strong economic progress happening in the city of Boston, but also the fundamental building blocks of opportunity we are creating for our workforce,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn.  “We are also excited to see that the chance we took of adding a diversity criteria has paid dividends, and the outcome so far has been outstanding. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership with Omni Hotels as we watch this project evolve into a key destination for visitors from across the state and country.”

The $550 million project is estimated to create 1,100 construction jobs and between 700 – 1,000 permanent jobs. 

“This is a multifaceted groundbreaking,” stated Brian Fallon, President of TDC Development Group, a division of The Davis Companies. “It’s an unprecedented project that will transform South Boston’s already thriving convention and tourism business by adding over 1,000 hotel rooms and provide a professional hospitality training institute to support industry career growth. We also hope that it will set a precedent for minority and women-owned business enterprise participation in real estate development.”

The Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport will become a part of Omni’s robust, and growing, Convention Center Collection, which features signature properties in Atlanta, Louisville, Dallas, Fort Worth and Nashville. Upon opening, it will be the largest hotel in Omni’s portfolio.

For more information, visit omnihotels.com, call 1-800-The-Omni or follow Omni Hotels & Resorts at www.Facebook.com/OmniHotels and Twitter.com/OmniHotels.

About Omni Hotels & Resorts
Omni Hotels & Resorts creates genuine, authentic guest experiences at 60 distinct luxury hotels and resorts in leading business and leisure destinations across North America. With more than 25 iconic golf courses and 16 award-winning spas featured in dynamic locales nationwide, every Omni proudly opens its doors to share the true spirit of its destination. Reflected through local color, personalized service, unique wellness options, signature restaurants and creative culinary offerings, Omni leaves a lasting impression with every guest and a heightened level of recognition and rewards delivered through its Select Guest® loyalty program. As a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance, Select Guest is further expanded through the DISCOVERY® loyalty program offering members additional global benefits. Omni is committed to reducing hunger and is on a mission through its Say Goodnight to Hunger initiative to provide millions of meals each year for food banks to feed children, families and seniors in communities in which it operates. For information or to book accommodations, visit omnihotels.com or call 1-800-The-Omni.

About New Boston Hospitality
New Boston Hospitality is comprised of The Davis Companies, Spot On Ventures, Taylor Smith Group,and local minority investors who have been invited to co-invest in the project, as well as Boston Urban Development, a local minority women-owned business. The construction team of John Moriarty & Associates, in concert with Janey Construction & Management Consulting, will join the architectural team of Elkus Manfredi/Stull & Lee/Moody Nolan, both 70/30% partnerships to bring the M/WBE level to approximately 30 percent during the construction and design phases.  In addition, six local non-profit organizations will receive a portion of the hotel’s profits, including The Edgerley Family South Boston Clubhouse of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, The Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester, The South Boston Community Health Center, Ladies Involved in Putting a Stop To Inner-City Killing (LIPSTICK), Julie’s Family Learning Center and the Building Pathways New Boston Hospitality.

About Massport
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport. Massport is a financially self-sustaining public authority whose premier transportation facilities generate more than $15 billion annually, and enhance and enable economic growth and vitality in New England. For more information please visit massport.com.