NewHavenBIZ

34 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m Suddenly, Room at the Inn After decades in the doldrums, New Haven braces for an embarrassment of hotel riches By Natalie Missakian F O C U S | H o t e l s W hen Stamford developer Randy Salvatore cut the rib- bon on his boutique hotel the Blake in February, he unveiled the first high-end hotel to open downtown since the Ivy-themed Study at Yale debuted a decade ago. But it likely won't be the last for a while. e chic, cosmopolitan hotel at the end of a once-forlorn but now reborn city corner at George and High streets is the first in as many as five new lodging projects that have opened or are in the works in the Elm City. Later this year, the storied Dun- can Hotel on Chapel Street plans to reopen as the Graduate New Haven, part of a university-themed boutique hotel chain that is ex- panding into college towns across the country. e hotel will feature 72 rooms, a lobby coffee shop and a restaurant inside the 1917 building that boasts the oldest hand-operated elevator in Connecticut. Other projects in the Elm City's hospitality pipeline include a 132- room Hilton Garden Inn at the corner of Elm and Orange streets; a proposed 165-room boutique hotel on the site of the iconic Pirelli building on Sargent Drive; and a potential 100-plus room Choice Hotel for Rt. 34 near Yale New Haven Hospital. e latter two are still in their early stages but moving forward, those involved in or familiar with the discussions say. Construction on the Hilton project, which will replace the old Webster Bank building at 80 Elm St., is expected to start this year. Positive momentum City officials say the same dynamics that sparked a high-end apartment boom in New Haven a few years ago also are behind the recent flurry of activity in the Elm City's hospitality market. Major expansions at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, the birth of new high- tech and biotech startups and the city's growing reputation as a culinary and entertainment desti- nation have created a buzz that is spilling over into the hotel sector, according to acting New Haven Economic Development Director Mike Piscitelli. "It creates a value of place that many niche or unique brand hotel operators have identified as a mar- ket opportunity," he says. e latest additions also tap into a national trend toward smaller "boutique" or "lifestyle" hotels, which boast unique architecture, art or eclectic décor. Millenials and baby boomers are increasingly shunning large national chains in a quest for lodging that creates an "experience," city officials say. "It's driving really interesting brands that are pretty distinctive and reflect the flavor of the city," says Piscitelli. Officials with Chicago-based AJ Capital Partners, which operates Graduate Hotels, say their company spends up to two years researching "what is special about the destina- tion" before selecting a location for a new hotel. It typically looks for university- Developer Salvatore opened his boutique Blake in February — the first high-end hotel to open downtown in a decade.

• Cover