Marriott Residence Inn coming to downtown in 2018

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Mark Botnick announces the Marriott hotel project which should open in 2018 on Central Street.
Mark Botnick of the Botnick Acquisition Development Team, announces the Marriott hotel project which should open in 2018 on Central Street.

MANCHESTER, NH – A new $25 million multi-story hotel project was announced Aug. 16 by Mark Botnick, whose family established E&R Cleaners on Central Street back in 1921. The building where the dry cleaning business is located now will be razed, along with the neighboring Tsiaras office building at 67 Central St., to make way for a Marriott Residence Inn, described as an upscale extended-stay hotel.

The joint project, by Botnick Acquisition Development LLC and The Anagnost Companies, should begin in about six months and is scheduled for completion by spring of 2018.

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Project manager Alex Anagnost said the current footprint of the project is 1.75 acres and will run along Lake Avenue, between Chestnut Street to Indian Head Athletics, and on Central Street, between the Nixon, Vogelman, Barry, Slawsky & Simoneau law firm and Athens Restaurant.

He also said that the project would not include function rooms or an in-hotel restaurant, which would encourage patrons to take advantage of the selection of downtown eateries.

Schematic of proposed hotel on Central Street.
Renderings of proposed hotel on Central Street.

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The project is a win for the city, said Dick Anagnost, principal of the Anagnost Development Group, noting that Marriott was also negotiating with a developer in Bedford, but chose the Manchester location. This will be Anagnost’s 38th building project in the city.

The proposed building site includes a municipal parking lot that is a popular parking option for those attending events at the Verizon Wireless Arena and other downtown destinations, which will become hotel parking. Dick Anagnost said that the hotel would likely feature up to 120 parking spaces, and that it would be up to the hotel management to work out some agreement with the Verizon if shared event parking were possible, going forward.

Aerial view: The hotel will have frontage on Chestnut Street, with parking on the Lake Avenue side.
Aerial view: The hotel will have frontage on Chestnut Street, with parking on the Lake Avenue side.

“Residence Inn is the hottest thing going in the hotel business right now,” Dick Anagnost said. “It’s a much-needed service for the downtown.”

He said the long-stay hotel model caters especially to business travelers, a rental option for those relocating to the area in need of temporary digs, or even performers coming through.

“For example, performers from Cirque de Soleil – which will be at the Verizon for four days this month – could stay at a place like this, with all the comforts of home,” Anagnost said.

Anagnost said the projected cost will be somewhere between $25-27 million.

Bodnick said not only will the project go a long way toward revitalizing the city block, but would also be a boon to the city in terms of tax revenue and a steady job base. He was not sure exactly how many jobs would be created by the project.

“Unfortunately, this building has to go away, but  E&R will continue to serve in a nearby location, and we believe this will spur revitalization elsewhere,” Botnick said.

Mayor Ted Gatsas said the city learned about the project last week, and has been asked to fast-track approvals. The addition of the hotel to that area of Elm Street will create a foundation for increasing the city’s vitality, he said.

“We’ll be talking to the planning department to make sure Dick Anagnost gets in and gets the project going,” Gatsas said. “It’s a great development for the downtown, and a well-received asset – we have a shortage of hotel rooms in our city.”

Three large heating oil tanks will have to be removed from the ground, but Anagnost said he did not believe there would be any issues with ground contamination based on boring samples.

Ward Alderman Pat Long said that the project is another credit to the Anagnost Company’s continued investment in the city, but that without the Botnicks’ involvement and investment, the project wouldn’t be possible.

“It will be a great addition to the downtown,” Long said.

There are currently six Marriott Residence Inns in New Hampshire – two in Portsmouth, one each in Nashua, Concord, Lebanon and North Conway. Cost for an overnight stay ranges between $139 in Nashua to $205 at the Portsmouth Downtown/Waterfront hotel, according to marriott.com.

 

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!