Hotel Hive project in Providence on hold (city hall, construction)
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Hotel Hive, the promised renovation of the old Providence Journal building downtown, is on hold. This extraordinary structure, next to city hall, is probably the most important example of rare Beaux Arts architecture in New England. It has been allowed to languish underutilized for decades. I hope the city works with this developer to make it happen, even under a difficult covid environment. Unlike the Superman Building, this is a manageable project with a developer in hand.
Understandable given the present environment. The demand for new hotel rooms is just not there now due to Covid and uncertainty about the future. The travel industry has fallen off a cliff. I myself was actually surprised that the 175 room Aloft Hotel on the Route 195 land actually went ahead and broke ground early in the pandemic. The then unknown severity of the effects of the virus along with the project being so far along probably contributed to its construction. It has now been topped off with interior work being finished and exterior surfacing being added. It is probably within 6 months of opening.
The other recent downtown hotel project, The Beatrice, on Westminster Street was affected by the virus as well. Owner Joe Paolino had earlier in July-2020 indicated that it might be converted to another use. Construction continued at a snail's pace. I however am unsure about its current status.
I would think the 118 room hotel proposed for the East Side at Angell and Brook Streets will be adversely affected as well. I cannot imagine it quickly proceeding to meet its hoped for open date.
Providence, with over 400 new rooms being added in the last two years (Woodspring Suites, Homewood Suites, & Residence Inn), currently has approximately 2,800 hotel rooms in the downtown area. The Alfoft and The Beatrice will bring the total to over 3,000 rooms. I would think the market was already getting close to its saturation point before the pandemic struck.
Last edited by MMS02760; 02-23-2021 at 09:53 AM..
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