W Hotel Hoboken

[thereuare]

An announcement should be coming next week that a deal has been finalized and construction will soon start on the first hotel in Hoboken city limits.

I believe the owner is Starwood and there was significant pressure put on them that the chain be a 'W Hotel' and i think it's likely that's what it will be.

We'll see for certain next week.

[fly_up_front]

W Atlanta

W Seattle

W New York

W Sydney

W Hoboken?

[thereuare]

We'll see for certain next week.

So it's been well over a week and how come no official announcement?

Likely answer is to blame it on the constant 'backroom deals' that take place in Hoboken.

Last year there was BIG controversy over the developer applying for a variance to build from the allowed 12 stories up to 16 stories... regardless of public outcry the variance passed.

Now the builder is back and saying that they don't know if they can get the W Hotel onboard with the given height restriction... now they need 27 stories! (160 feet is now approved, they want approval for 275 feet). I don't think this has anything to do with the W coming or not because the new height won't add any additional rooms (there will be 275 rooms either way) and whatever hotel does come will love it here as they'll have a virtual monopoly on hotel rooms and large catering facilities!

For some reason the local government is drooling over a 'W' in town and is bending over backwards to lure that brand here. I think the developer is playing on their desires and waving the carrot of the W as a pivotal factor in raising the height.... i firmly believe that if you build it to current specifications the W Hotel will still come (for business reasons stated above).

As of now it looks like the variance for the extra 10 stories will pass due to typical Hoboken politics: public opposes, builder is a contributor to the mayor's election campaign, 5 on the city coucil who are in the mayor's pocket will vote in favor of the deal while the other 4 will vote against... net result is another 5-4 vote which is the same outcome as just about every other controversial vote that takes place.

Here's more info on the hotel plans:

www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1291&dept_id=523585&newsid=11277850&PAG=461&rfi=9

[thereuare]

You heard it hear first:

This thread was started over 6 months ago but it's now official... Hoboken is getting a W Hotel.

FULL ARTICLE

I think perhaps fly_up_front had a say in how the article was written as the first paragraph reads:

Just like Chicago, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Sydney, Hoboken will have its own W Hotel

and as you can see above he commented:

W Atlanta

W Seattle

W New York

W Sydney

W Hoboken?

I guess smart minds think alike! :) (although many residents are very dubious of just how smart a move this is for Hoboken... i think the hotel will do well but also don't believe it's good for the city)

[WillTravel]

Why is it thought to be bad for the city? Is it a matter of overdevelopment and congestion?

[thereuare]

Yes, that's exactly it.

Hoboken is a big town/small city and they really go out of their way to make sure that it keeps it's 'hometown' charm.... so much so that buildings on the main street must conform to the historic feel. (for example, no neon signs are allowed on the main st... although some stores are 'grandfathered since they had such signs before the ordinance went into effect)

I don't think people were opposed so much to a hotel, but they're opposed to this 27 story building on the waterfront, blocking views of NYC, creating shadows throughout town at different points of the day, etc, etc.

[fly_up_front]

Just like Chicago, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Sydney, Hoboken will have its own W Hotel

Well, it's a lead that kind of writes itself :)

A friend of mine married a gal from Weehawken last year and a while back, they took me to a great seafood place right on the river with the view of the NYC skyline. I can only the imagine the anger a 27 story building blocking your view could bring.

[thereuare]

It it was in Weehawken it may have been the Chart House (and if a while back may have been Shanghai Reds).

Funny you mention Weehawken since at one of the city council meetings a member of the oppostion for the hotel said, "Sure you'll bring in this reknown architects and i'm sure the building will be beautiful, but is it what we need? Buidling such a nice building won't benefit us, it will benefit those across the river that look at NJ. And you know will happen... they'll look across the Hudson and see this big building with a W on top of it and they'll tell everyone, 'You see that, that's Weekhawken!" :)

[fly_up_front]

That's funny .... W still seems like an odd chain to be initiating a project like this. Seems like most of their properties have been renovations. The place will have a killer view though. In 2001, I Pricelined into the Chicago City Center W for $55 - not likely to see that again.

Also, Chart House sounds right. It would have been late 2002.

[thereuare]

It's been over a year, but they've officially "broken ground"

W HOTEL HOBOKEN

They're targeting mid-2007 for completion.