Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | Book of Lists 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 65 Largest hotels Ranked by number of guest rooms Hotel No. of guest rooms/ function rooms Hotel services General manager/ year opened 1 Great Wolf Lodge New England 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg 01420 978-343-9653 • greatwolf.com/new-england 406 7 All-suite resort, 10,000-square-foot conference center for meetings and weddings, free WiFi and parking, fitness center, restaurants, bars, retail, waterparks, arcade, attraction park Alex Matthews 2014 2 Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center 181 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough 01752 508-460-0700 • rplazahotels.com 307 23 Trade center exhibit space, 47,000 sq. ft., hotel meeting space, 22,000 sq. ft., full service property, complimentary shuttle within six-mile radius, complimentary WiFi in all guest rooms, indoor pool Arthur Correa 1983 3 The VERVE Hotel Boston Natick, Tapestry Collection by Hilton 1360 Worcester St., Natick 01760 508-653-8800 • vervehotelnatick.com 251 14 Full-service hotel, restaurant, lounge, 17,000 square feet of meeting and event space, free WiFi and parking, fitness center Ryan Burkart 1986 4 Embassy Suites Marlborough 123 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough 01752 508-485-5900 • embassysuites.com 229 5 Full-service hotel, complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and complimentary evening reception, five meeting rooms ranging from 425 sq. ft. to 725 sq. ft., indoor pool, fitness center Ana Gomes Wysocki 1997 5 DoubleTree by Hilton Boston-Westborough 5400 Computer Drive, Westborough 01581 508-366-5511 • doubletree.com 225 18 Newly renovated meeting and function facilities, Regatta Bar & Grille, Hilton brand lobby connectivity table, 24-hour fitness facilities with indoor pool, whirlpool, parking, free WiFi in public areas, Hertz car rental Kevin Mattheson 1986 6 The Wellsworth Hotel (1) 14 Mechanic St., Southbridge 01550 508-765-8000 • wellsworthhotel.com 203 22 Restaurant, lounge with pool table and dart boards, courtyard with firepit and string lighting, fitness center with racquetball courts and half court basketball court, heated indoor pool and hot tub, sauna and steam rooms Steve Gardiner 2002 7 Courtyard by Marriott Boston Marlborough 75 Felton St., Marlborough 01752 508-480-0015 • marriott.com/bosmd 202 11 8,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, on-site catering, bistro open for breakfast and dinner daily, fitness room, health club, indoor pool, complimentary parking, complimentary shuttle service within five miles, complimentary WiFi and more Kevin Buchanan 1986 8 Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center (2) 1657 Worcester Road, Framingham 01701 508-879-7200 • marriott.com/bosfs 200 25 Sheraton club-level floor, fitness center, indoor pool, restaurant and lounge, 22,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, business services, in-room safety deposit box, pets under 75 lbs. David Laurent 1973 9 Hilton Garden Inn Worcester 35 Major Taylor Blvd., Worcester 01608 508-753-5700 • worcester.hgi.com 199 7 Fitness center, business center, wireless internet, indoor pool, jacuzzi, 12 suites and two restaurants, on- site pantry, meetings and catering KC Jones 2006 10 Sturbridge Host Hotel & Conference Center 366 Main St., Sturbridge 01566 508-347-7393 • sturbridgehosthotel.com 197 21 Full-service conference center, beach with lake swimming, paddleboats, miniature golf course, fitness room, indoor pool, two on-site restaurants, lounge Lise Hunt 1975 11 Hampton by Hilton Boston-Natick 319 Speen St., Natick 01760 508-653-5000 • bostonnatick.hamptoninn.com 188 12 Free hot breakfast and WiFi, parking, fitness center, conference space with 10,000 square feet of meeting space, restaurant attached Chris Gendics 1994 12 DoubleTree by Hilton - Leominster 99 Erdman Way, Leominster 01453 978-534-9000 • leominster.doubletree.com 187 14 Complimentary standard wireless internet service, heated indoor pool, fitness center, two restaurants, bar, room service Julie Povall 1989 13 DoubleTree by Hilton Boston-Milford 11 Beaver St., Milford 01757 508-478-7010 • bostonmilford.doubletree.com 174 8 Restaurant/Legends Sports Bar, appliances in rooms, Corner Pantry market, business center, indoor saltwater pool, flat-screen TVs in every room and lobby, fitness center, suites available Robert Loewen 1985 14 AC Hotel by Marriott Worcester 125 Front St., Worcester 01608 774-420-7555 • marriott.com/boswn 170 7 Mini refrigerator and 48-inch smart TV in each room, AC Kitchen features a European-inspired breakfast, AC Lounge is a co-working space by day and lounge by night, AC Library business services with an iMac workstation and a selection of books Mary Simone 2018 15 Hilton Garden Inn Boston-Marlborough 170 Forest St., Marlborough 01752 508-251-6706 • bostonmarlborough.hgi.com 160 7 WiFi, microwaves, refrigerators, two restaurants, private dining room with patio, outdoor patio with gas fire pit, indoor pool, fitness center and business center Scott Liebman 2016 16 Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center 242 Adams Place, Boxborough 01719 978-263-8701 • boxbororegency.com 143 13 Full-service hotel and conference center, exhibit and meeting space, restaurant, bar, fitness center, complimentary WiFi and parking, near Solomon Pond Mall Christina Phanord 1975 17 Hampton Inn by Hilton Marlborough 277 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough 01752 508-787-9888 • hamptoninnmarlborough.com 142 1 Located off Route 20 and I-495, a short walk from area restaurants and family fun at Apex Entertainment. New England Sports Center, North America's largest indoor ice skating facility, is 10-minute drive Mark Myles 1999 (3) Source: Each hotel via survey as of Q1 2025 Note: The Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Marlborough will be closed throughout 2025. (1) Formerly Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center (2) Data from WBJ's 2024 survey (3) Renovated in 2017 -Compiled by: Stephanie R. Meagher, research@nebusinessmedia.com H O S P I T A L I T Y F O C U S WPI postpones plan to convert Gateway Park hotel Worcester Polytechnic Institute has pumped the brakes on its plans to convert the Hampton Inn at Worcester's Gateway Park into student housing, citing the shifting dynamics for higher education institutions. WPI is postponing its original plan to convert one of the two hotels it purchased in September into student housing in 2026, according to a letter issued to the WPI community on July 1. The letter says revenue derived from the 100-room hotel will provide financial resiliency in a time where the federal government has slashed research funding and made it harder for international students to attend American universities. WPI still plans to follow its original plan for the 134-room Courtyard Marriott, which would see it converted into student housing in 2030. The university did not offer a timeline for the Hampton Inn conversion, instead saying it would analyze its student housing needs annually. WPI's decision to purchase the hotels led to criticism from the Worcester Economic Development Coordinating Council, a behind-the- scenes organization made up of government and business officials, who said WPI did not engage city stakeholders before the purchase and argued the move to convert the hotels into student housing would diminish the city's hotel stock. The university later reached an agreement with the City of Worcester in November, agreeing to make payments to partially offset the possible shortfall created by the potential certification of the two Gateway Park properties as tax-exempt. In the letter, WPI pointed toward its contributions to Worcester, saying it had invested more than $140 million into Gateway Park mixed-use development and made annual payment-in-lieu contributions to the City in excess of $815,000. – Story by Eric Casey

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