Boston Marriott Long Wharf Completes $30 M Renovation

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

After four years and a $30 million investment, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Sunstone Hotel Investors announced last week the completion of a full property renovation project at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf located at 296 State Street. The landmark hotel now has a lobby with Waterline restaurant and bar area, an expanded health club and concierge lounge, plus a new ballroom offering spectacular views on the harbor and renovated meeting areas totaling 21,000 square feet of space. The hotel’s old meeting spaces, such as the 8,200-square-foot Grand Ballroom, the 5,750-square-foot Palm Garden and the 2,530-square-foot Commonwealth Ballroom have been fully renovated as well.

BBG-BBGM, an architecture and interior design firm with offices in New York City, Washington, D. C., and Shanghai, China, was chosen to reinvent the 412-room hotel. Apart from the new ergonomic furnishings and bedding, all guest rooms have been equipped with iPod clock radios, HD LCD TV sets with split screen technology and plug-in connectivity for digital devices.

The hotel was expanded with 12 executive king suites and two luxury waterfront suites with private balconies, while the existing Long Wharf suite, the largest one in the hotel, was completely reimagined and redesigned.

In financial news, MassDevelopment—Massachusetts’  finance and development agency—announced the expansion of its existing loans with new products created for tech startups, rental housing, commercial real estate and energy efficiency.

The three new products are: the Commercial Real Estate Investment Loan (for building renovation projects and downtown revitalization); the Emerging Technology Fund Term Working Capital Loan (providing financial solutions for staffing and other working capital needs for tech startups); the Multifamily Real Estate Loan (offering financial solutions for residential developments and downtown and transit-oriented projects).

Apart from these core products, MassDevelopment will also increase the maximum dollar amount per loan to $2 million for an equipment loan and $2 million for a loan guarantee for real estate and equipment financing.

Photo rendering of the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Grand Ballroom courtesy of Marriott International website