BOSTON
Announced in May 2017, Omni Resorts and Hotels will develop a two-tower, 1,054-room hotel across from the 2.1-million-square-foot Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the Seaport District. Reportedly offering 120,000 square feet of space, it will include the city’s largest ballroom at 25,000 square feet. Presently in the permitting process, the $550 million property is slated to open in 2021.
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority selected Dutch firm Arcadis to serve as its Owner’s Project Manager (OPM). With its North American headquarters in Colorado and five offices in Massachusetts, Arcadis is the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets.
The three-year contract, with two one-year options, covers regular venue operations and capital improvements to maintain and enhance four MCCA facilities. These include the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston Common Garage and MassMutual Center in Springfield.
“The MCCA invests tens of millions of dollars annually to ensure our portfolio of venues delivers an exceptional experience as we welcome visitors from around the world to Massachusetts,” stated MCCA Executive Director David Gibbons in a release. “Arcadis’ planning and program management expertise is key to the continued improvements and development of our award-winning facilities on behalf of the commonwealth and in service to our customers.”
Targeting a June 2019 opening, construction is proceeding on the new Wynn Boston Harbor casino-resort on the Mystic River in suburban Everett, just north of Boston. Overshadowing the project are investigations stemming from accusations of sexual misconduct by Wynn Resorts founder Stephen Wynn, who resigned as the company’s chairman and CEO early last month. With broad authority to act against Wynn and the company, including revoking the planned casino’s operating license under the test of “suitability,” the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is presently investigating the allegations. At press time, the company was moving ahead with the $2.4 billion waterfront project, which will reportedly include a 671-room tower; 50,000 square feet of meeting space; event lawn and harbor walk; and water shuttle service to Logan Airport and around Boston Harbor.
In November 2017, Hyatt Hotels Corp. was approved for a 294-room Seaport District hotel, part of a mixed-use development across from the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion outdoor concert venue.
Incorporating a 215-room Four Seasons hotel on its lower 20 floors and 174 condominiums on the 40 floors above, 61-story One Dalton in Boston’s Back Bay will become New England’s tallest residential tower when it makes its anticipated debut this year.
SPRINGFIELD
Targeting a Q3 2018 opening, MGM Springfield is the first full-scale casino-resort licensed by Massachusetts. Covering three city blocks in the heart of downtown Springfield, the $950 million integrated development will feature a boutique hotel with 250 stylish guest rooms and suites, and 125,000 square feet of gaming space. It will also include meeting space, dining, retail, a spa, a cinema, a bowling complex and more.
LENOX
In August 2017, Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, broke ground on a $30 million project behind its new Tanglewood Learning Institute initiative. Targeting completion by summer 2019, this new multiuse, multi-season four-building complex will reportedly offer "wide-ranging education and enrichment programs designed to enhance the patron experience.”