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12 Worcester Business Journal | May 18, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Managing Editor T wo new hotels are coming to Worcester. Both a Hampton Inn and a Woodspring Suites are set to break ground this year in the city. eir eventu- al openings will be a win for the long-term civic effort to transform Worcester into a premier destination, particularly for large-scale events requiring hundreds of hotel rooms. Yet, the hotels' construction comes as demand is soening slightly and existing hotels need more of the steady day-to- day business that makes them profitable. "We always have some ebbs and flows," said Jeffrey Karam, co-CEO of Fall River-based First Bristol Corp. "We plan to be pret- ty stable this year versus last year. ere's always new businesses and new opportunities coming in." First Bristol opened the Home- PHOTO | EDD COTE FOCUS R E A L E S T A T E Jeffrey Karam, co- CEO of First Bristol Corp. 2024 OCCUPANCY RATES: 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday Wednesday 2025 45.6% 38.6% 55.2% 48.4% 62.6% 56.4% 61.8% 53.1% 56.3% 48.7% 64.2% 60.2% 69.6% 63.8% Worcester hotel occupancy, by day Occupancy rates in Worcester area hotels were down in 2025, with a decline in weekday traffic playing a role. Source: CoStar construction at a 122-room extend- ed-stay Woodspring Suites hotel near Route 146 sometime this summer. "Hampton Inn is probably one of the strongest limited service brands in the world," Karam said. "Bringing it downtown, the location, all those AC Hotel General Manager Mary Simone wants to see the region's tourism market grow but is skeptical of current demand for more hotel rooms. More hotels, soer demand Two Worcester hotels plan to begin construction this year, even as occupancy rates have fallen over the last 16 months wood Suites by Hilton Worcester in 2017 in Washington Square and now is hoping to commence construction across the street in September on its long-awaited 105-room Hampton Inn. Simultaneously, Maryland-based Park Silver Development is set to begin