Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • December 23, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 3 The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business We're experts in: Facilities Services, Preventive Maintenance Programs, Onsite Operations & Maintenance NEMSI SERVICE SOLUTIONS INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY. REDUCE COSTS. 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com MECHANICAL | ELECTRICAL | PLUMBING | SHEET METAL | BUILDING AUTOMATION | FACILITIES SERVICES License #'s: E1-0125666 S1-302974 P1-203519 F1-10498 SM1-192 MC-1134 NEMSI HBJ_QtrPg Ads_191009.indd 3 10/9/19 4:20 PM By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com D r. Gerald A. Niznick is considered a pioneer in the dental implant business, but he's a relatively unknown name in Connecticut. That could soon change. Niznick, who by accident became the owner of the city of Bristol's only hotel, has a grand vision to build a second nearby hotel and an accompanying 35,000-square- foot event center that he says will become a first-class destination wedding venue unlike anything that exists in the state. "I'd like for this to be a wedding des- tination where people come from all over the place," Niznick told Hartford Business Journal in a recent interview. "It will be a hotel, banquet facility and reception hall all in one place." Niznick, a Las Vegas multimillion- aire with few ties to Connecticut, isn't just a dreamer with a grand vision. Since 2010, he's already invested $25 million of his own money to renovate and rebrand the former Clarion Hotel at 42 Century Drive into a 141-room DoubleTree by Hilton. He plans to invest another $20 mil- lion to $25 million to build the event center and a second, 82-room Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel, which is a newer, modern extended-stay brand. The hotel would connect to the event center and current DoubleTree hotel. There would also be a 400-space underground parking garage. Niznick said he's going to pay cash to finance the project so funding is essentially in place. He wants to break ground in May, but he'll need to go through a city approval process. Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said she supports the project. Niznick, a 76-year-old serial en- trepreneur, recently acquired three long-vacant parcels immediately west of the DoubleTree hotel from Otis Elevator Co., which has a test- ing and research center in Bristol at 99 Century Dr. That space would be used to house part of the new development, which would extend into the 229 Technology Park, an industrial park whose tenants include Amazon. Sports broadcast giant ESPN and family theme park Lake Com- pounce are also located nearby. Niznick said his DoubleTree hotel hosts a lot of wedding parties but not actual weddings. He wants to capture that business by offering a first-class facility that competes with the likes of the Aqua Turf in South- ington and other nearby venues. The hope is that the venue, which would also play host to banquets, corporate and other special events, will feed the hotels and vice versa. "I'm just betting putting a second hotel there will create a critical mass," Niznick said. Zoppo-Sassu said the project was brought to her attention about six months ago and she met Niznick over breakfast at the end of the summer to discuss it. "I believe [Niznick] sees market- place demand," Zoppo-Sassu said. "We have other conference facilities in neighboring cities and towns that take a lot of Bristol business and I think he is looking to fill that market need locally. I also think he is look- ing around at some of his corporate neighbors and seeing that there is a potential opportunity for them to do additional events in town." Zoppo-Sassu said manufacturers in and around the 229 Technology industrial park host events, as does the regional chamber of commerce, that could use the new facility. Amazon, which has a package- sorting facility in the city, is cur- rently using the DoubleTree hotel for employee training, she said. "We look forward to any partner- ship and expansion opportunities Up Front Continued on page 4 >> TOWN PROFILE: BRISTOL The 'godfather' of implant dentistry eyes $20M-plus hotel-event center in Bristol PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Gerald A. Niznick (left), who is proposing a $20-million-plus hotel/event center project in Bristol, stands with his wife in front of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry in Canada.

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