Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1446108
12 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 31, 2022 Betting On A Rebound After pandemic-induced delays, developers of $25M Bristol hotel/conference center hope to create a CT 'destination' By Skyler Frazer sfrazer@hartfordbusiness.com D espite two years of a pandemic that has forced the cancellation or postponement of many in-person gatherings, developers of a major new Bristol events center and hotel said they are optimistic about the future as their project gets ready to open next year. The $25 million Bristol Event Center is expected to debut on Century Drive in the first quarter of 2023, after breaking ground in late 2020. Dr. Gerald Niznick, a Las Vegas-based serial-entrepreneur who launched and is funding the project, envisions the facility as a "destination" for those who want to host conferences and weddings. The center will open roughly three years after COVID-19 first began shutting down parts of the economy, upending the leisure and hospitality industry in particular. "I think we're going to be very busy," Niznick said in a recent interview. "There's nothing like [what we are developing]." Prestige Hospitality Group (PHG), of New York, will manage the property when it's built. The company owns, develops and manages more than 30 hotels and hospitality properties across the country. PHG CEO James C. Frenis said the project has made progress since it broke ground two years ago, but was delayed by supply chain issues that made some materials hard to find. The project includes construction of a new 90-room HOME2 Suites by Hilton hotel and 30,000-square-foot conference/event center that will feature a: ■ 9,400-square-foot main ballroom area ■ 8,100-square-foot pre-function space ■ 2,400-square-foot lecture space; ■ two 940-square-foot bridal or executive suites ■ and 8,200 square feet of outdoor gathering space. The main ballroom, which will have the ability to be divided into two spaces, will have a 30-foot- high ceiling and dance floor. It will accommodate up to 750 people for conferences, sit-down dinners or weddings. Frenis said there will be a 25-foot LED screen on both sides of the ballroom that can be moved around depending on an event's needs. The ballroom's acoustics will also be fine-tuned so that "if you're sitting in the very first seat or the last seat, you're going to be able to hear people speaking," Frenis said. "Everything in there will be state of the art," he added. The center will be able to host everything from company Dr. Gerald Niznick RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED This rendering from Prestige Hospitality Group shows a bar area inside the Bristol Event Center. The Bristol Event Center will have a 9,400-square-foot main ballroom area with movable, 25-foot LED screens.