Largest NYC hotel project since 2002 announced

Marriott International, Inc. announced it and Granite Broadway Development will together develop a new 68-story, 639-room hotel project in Manhattan. The project will piggy-back a Residence Inn by Marriott on top of a Courtyard by Marriott, and is scheduled for completion in late 2013. According to the New York Times, construction reportedly will start soon at the site, the northwest corner of West 54th Street and Broadway.

The Marriott news release specifies that the hotel-on-top-of-a-hotel will be 752 feet and 9 inches high, making it the tallest structure of its type in New York City. The hotels will share a main entrance lobby and a fitness facility.

Despite the rapidly growing number of hotel rooms in the city, the Times reported that hotel industry experts expect the project to be successful. It also noted, based on figures provided by the lodging research company Smith Travel Research, that in the past 12 months alone, 33 hotels opened in the New York City area, bringing the presently-existing stock of hotel rooms to 100,500.

Levere, Jane L. Two Marriott Brands Are to Share Space in Manhattan Tower. New York Times. August 10, 2011.

Marriott International and Granite Broadway Development to Develop New York City's Tallest Hotel. Marriott News Center. August 10, 2011.