New Ritz-Carlton, Hilton Planned For Boston Market

<B>New Ritz-Carlton, Hilton Planned For Boston Market</B>

By Robert Curley

A number of new upscale hotels soon will grace the Boston skyline--sure to be welcome news to business travelers visiting one of the hottest lodging markets in the country. Boston's average occupancy rate in 1999 was a hearty 77.2 percent, and average room rates jumped 6.9 percent last year, to $189, but experts said that performance among top properties in the city is even more impressive.

Occupancy at the Ritz-Carlton Boston, for instance, consistently has filled more than 80 percent of its rooms over the past few years, according to Brian Collins, principal in charge of the hotel division at Millennium Partners, a New York real estate and hotel management firm that operates Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons properties, primarily on the East Coast.

"The market couldn't be hotter," he said. To meet this demand, Millennium is building an unprecedented second Ritz-Carlton property in Boston. Slated to open next May, the 192-room Ritz-Carlton Boston Common will be part of a $500 million mix-use hotel/residential/entertainment complex bounded by Washington, Tremont and Boylston streets--the heart of Boston's infamous former "Combat Zone" red-light district.

The development will "bring a different kind of customer to Washington and Tremont," Collins said, adding that Millennium's new and existing Ritz properties in Boston primarily will compete with each other and the Four Seasons for executive business travelers and other elite guests, who can expect to pay rack rates of $400-$450 per night for a room and $600-$650 nightly for a suite at the Boston Common Ritz. But with new construction promising 500-sq.-ft. rooms and 950-sq.-ft. suites with nine-ft. ceilings, and modern bathrooms with separate tubs and showers, Collins predicted that the new Ritz quickly will become the top luxury hotel in the city.

"There's a lot of demand at the top end of the market that isn't being satisfied," says Collins. "I think we'll take the top tier of customers from the existing Ritz and the Four Seasons."

Visitors to Harvard, MIT and Boston's booming high-tech sector may be the primary customers for the hotels in neighboring Cambridge, but savvy business travelers have discovered that the city across the Charles River also is convenient for upscale lodging, particularly when downtown hotels are sold out. Located on Harvard Square, the Charles Hotel likely will be a top choice for executive travelers looking for an alternative to the Ritz, Four Seasons or the Boston Harbor Hotel that's away from the bustle of downtown. There's still plenty of excitement on and around the Harvard campus, of course, but the hotel reflects the area's more laid-back, academic flavor.

The Charles Hotel's modern, cube-like exterior and bookish lobby is belied by bright, comfortable guest rooms and suites that feature Shaker-style oak furniture and handsome quilted bedcovers. General manager Michael Doyle said the 293-room property's strong repeat business--75 percent to 80 percent of which consists of business travelers--is a result of a service philosophy that stresses attentiveness without dwelling on formality: Guests here are encouraged to be comfortable, whether they're wearing suits or shorts, Doyle said.

The Charles Hotel's room rates are pretty typical for an upscale Boston property--$250 to $500 for a deluxe guest room, with suites ranging from $450 to $850--and the hotel's new, 4,300-sq.-ft. conference center should appeal to meeting planners. But Doyle said it's the hotel's dining and catering facilities and offerings that set the hotel apart. The Rialto restaurant was a major beneficiary of the hotel's 1998 renovation, and offers fine dining in a stylish, uncluttered setting with oversize earthtone couches and funky blue-glass chandeliers.

Of course, the Charles Hotel is far from the only choice in Cambridge: At the southern end of the city is the planned site for construction of a new Hilton hotel adjacent to the CambridgeSide Galleria. Christine Hanley, project manager for property owner New England Development Corp., said the Hilton is slated to include 236 rooms and 7,600 square feet of meeting space when completed in 2002.