Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Borough President Marty Markowitz put their
shovels in the ground last week to mark the start of construction on an
expansion to the Brooklyn Marriott that will nearly double the number
of rooms at the borough’s premier hotel.
When completed in the spring of 2006, the new 24-story tower, situated
adjacent to the original Marriott at 333 Adams St., will add 280 new rooms
to the existing 376, said Roberta Lee, a spokeswoman for Muss Development
Company, which is building the hotel addition.
“The Brooklyn Marriott’s decision to expand proves that the
business community, along with the tourism industry in Brooklyn, is growing
by leaps and bounds,” said Markowitz. “The additional space
means that even more people will be able to enjoy our world-class restaurants
and museums, unique neighborhoods and, of course, experience the long-standing
reputation of Brooklynites being reserved, subtle and polite.”
Besides creating more than 100 new jobs, the addition, said Jocelyn Aframe,
a spokeswoman for Markowitz, will also usher in a pedestrian plaza between
Adams and Jay streets that would include new street furniture, lighting
and landscaping.
“An expanded Marriott hotel will not only add capacity to one of
the city’s busiest hotels but will also support Brooklyn’s growing
convention and tourism business, which is increasingly vital to the area’s
growth,” said Bloomberg at the Jan. 20 ceremony.
The original hotel opened in 1998 after more than a decade of planning.
When it opened, it became the first new full-service hotel in Brooklyn
in more than 50 years and later went on to receive awards for its record
occupancy levels, which reached 90 percent in 2000, according to Muss
Development.
Lee said that the 32-story hotel rated higher than any of the 300 full-service
hotels in the Marriott chain.
The success is due in part to its ballroom, the fourth largest in New
York City, according to Muss. A 75-foot pool, health club and 200-seat
restaurant round out the amenities.
The new building, said Lee, is expected to include retail on the ground
floor, maybe even something open around the clock.
The $77 million construction project comes to fruition at least three
years after the plan was first made public by Muss Development, which
purchased the plot of land from the city for $5.2 million.
