Construction of the new Marriott Hotel is moving along swiftly and the structure itself has taken on a presence that will likely be here for the next 75 years or more.
The hotel will be a giant generator of tax dollars for the city as the city charges a room tax, and the hotel owners pay property tax and so, the hotel is a very welcome addition to the city’s mix of commercial interests.
The city is at work tight now to locate another hotel or two in the area.
This is good public policy but it is even better business policy.
With the possible coming of a casino at Suffolk Downs, hotel space, more than ever, will be needed to satisfy the demand for rooms from those traveling to Boston – not to go to the casino, but to attend conventions or larger scale business conclaves.
Boston presently has a shortage of hotel rooms that makes it impossible for the city to host larger conventions. For this reason alone, Chelsea has become a favored place, Revere, too.
The casino factor intensifies the likely rising demand for more hotel rooms as a Suffolk Downs casino will be one more reason for convention organizers to consider Boston as its location.
Bottom line, hotels are great businesses for cities like Chelsea.
They tend to employ lots of men and women to run and to maintain them – and they tend to employ local residents and use local firms.
We welcome another hotel or two.
They couldn’t locate here fast enough as far as we’re concerned.