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July 17, 2008

Another Hotel for Downtown Brooklyn

300-Schermerhorn-Street-0708.jpg
With the Nu just opened, the Sheraton recently topped off, and Indigo at the foundation stage, you might be forgiven for thinking that there was enough hotel capacity in the pipeline for Downtown Brooklyn. Well, at least one developer thinks differently. SM Hotel Management, controlled by the Mehta family, paid $11 million for the 80-by-197-foot lot at 300 Schermerhorn Street last October and has just broken ground on what will be a 14-story, 247-unit hotel being designed by Gene Kaufman. Do you think Brooklyn can absorb all this hotel capacity? GMAP P*Shark DOB




Posted by Brownstoner at 10:31 AM | Comments (15)
Categories: Development, Downtown Brooklyn

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Comments

After not having a "conventional" hotel option for most of my lifetime in Brooklyn, the recent additions have been wonderful because they replaced the rooms and amenities (i.e. restaurants and meeting spaces) that once were afforded by the Bossert and the St. George. However, with the Marriott addition, the completion of the Neu and Bleu there is enough in the pipeline.

In the bad old '70s, underutilized hotels were converted to emergency homeless housing. Giving that everything is cylclical, let's not even create the capacity for this to occur in the future.

(Yes, I know the Marriott is not cheap and the Sheraton shouldn't be.)

Posted by: BrooklynIsHome at July 17, 2008 10:47 AM

It is a 20 minute subway ride to midtown. Less to lower Manhattan and other tourist and business areas. Walk to BAM, Park Slope, etc. Just have competitive rates for not being in Midtown and will do fine.

Posted by: Petebklyn at July 17, 2008 10:59 AM

This is great for the neighborhood. Perfect location as beautiful State street is 1 block over, Fort Greene park is walking distance, getting-better every day Fulton Mall is walking distance & the BAM Cultural District will soon be the most amazing place in all of Brooklyn, if not NY. Truly great addition. Schermerhorn is ripe for development. It's like Chelsea in the late 80's, early 90's

Posted by: PropJoe at July 17, 2008 11:00 AM

Now no, in 3-5 years there won't be enough rooms for all the dwellers.

Posted by: ReMiXxd at July 17, 2008 11:01 AM

Dude, it's going to take 2 years before this even opens so it's fine.

Posted by: PropJoe at July 17, 2008 11:04 AM

Brooklyn can absorb it. Manhattan is sometimes booked and even the slimy hotels charge hundreds a night. Brooklyn is now a tourist destination complete with the double decker busses. When I had to help out of town clients book trips there was sometimes absolutely no where to stay in Manhattan. Downtown is so close and convenient to all the touristy stuff. They can get tickets to a show at TKTS and can walk across either bridge to go to Chinatown or the FiDi and Seaport.

Posted by: dobro at July 17, 2008 11:17 AM

Best part is two or more of them will have roof-top bars. Probably have to go to back to swing era to have than in Dwtwn BK. Demand no problem.

Posted by: chrishavens at July 17, 2008 11:21 AM

Brooklyn could easily absorb thousands of new units. I wish they would revise the zoning code to allow a new hotel to be built near the Brooklyn Museum. That would be fantastic tourist location if there ever was one.

Posted by: Polemicist at July 17, 2008 11:28 AM

I'm liking the way Brooklyn is starting to shape up. Reminds me of late 80's, early 90's Manhattan. It's going to be a fun ride over the next decade. It's only logical that rents and housing prices near transportation will skyrocket in coming years. Boerum Hill, Forte Greene and Downtown will all be huge beneficiarys

Posted by: PropJoe at July 17, 2008 11:44 AM

I think that the demand will be there, as long as the prices stay a touch below Midtown. Think about it: 2 million people in this borough, and most of us have friends and family from somewhere else. My partner's family chose to stay in Bk the last time that they visited because we're living here. They can't be the only ones doing that.

Posted by: BrooklynButler at July 17, 2008 12:56 PM

Prices need to be way more than a touch below midtown.

Brooklyn may be becoming a tourist destination for some folks, but let's be honest, the vast majority of tourists still want to stay in Manhattan.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at July 17, 2008 1:02 PM

I have to agree with snarkslope. A hotel in Manhattan is in the center of all the tourist points of interest. You just walk out the door and you're there. My feeling is that most Brooklyn Hotels will be a place to sleep and rest after you've spent the day in Manhattan.

Still, people staying in the hotels will do local shopping nad sightseeing. I see lots of tourists from the Marriot in stores on Fulton St. now in the downtown area. And if the rates are less than Manhattan, I would guess that more and more businesses will book here to save money. In any case, hotels in Brooklyn are a plus.

Posted by: bxgrl at July 17, 2008 1:59 PM

This area will indeed be incredible in 3-5 years.

Remember that down the block we have other developments:

160 Schermerhorn

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/11/development_wat_150.php

189 Schermerhorn

http://mcbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2008/01/downtown-brooklyn-189-schermerhorn.html

Add to this City Point, Toren, Oro I & II (Hilton) plus BAM construction and Smith restaurants and so much more. I'm so excited I bought in the Toren leaving my rent control apartment in the Heights which I lived 28 years.

If you guys get a chance, check out the curtain wall going up on the Toren. Very nice. Can't wait to see what Avalon Bay will look like. And when Willoughby Park is started next to City POint and Sheraton wow. I'm so excited. Yea Go Brooklyn and Marty you are the best.

Posted by: Junkman at July 17, 2008 2:15 PM

PropJoe wrote:...Perfect location as beautiful State street is 1 block over....

Yeah, and since that's precisely where I live I'm more than a little pissed that the neigborhood is going to be sullied by this piece of Kaufman Krap:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/inc/miniaturka.php?plik=103007103051.jpg&szerokosc=200

Posted by: johnife at July 17, 2008 2:34 PM

lots of hotels going up here and in the financial district. should be interesting.

indigo aint close to foundation stage. you need to get out a bit more b-stoner.

Posted by: BrooklynLove at July 17, 2008 8:07 PM

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