REVERE — The city is on track to nearly double the number of hotel rooms by 2020, a sign that developers recognize Revere is among the best places to add rooms minutes from Boston.
“The hundreds of rooms that have been proposed and permitted shows the value we offer as a community,” said Mayor Brian Arrigo. “We are so close to the airport, colleges, and downtown Boston.”
Today, Revere has 800 rooms in five hotels, most located near Logan International Airport. There’s Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn & Suites, Four Points by Sheraton, Rodeway Inn, and the Quality Inn.
There are eight hotels under construction or in the permitting stages, according to the city’s Department of Planning and Community Development.
They include a 175-room Wyndham Hotel at the former Shipwreck Lounge site on Revere Beach Boulevard; a 172-room Marriott SpringHill Suites at Waterfront Square; a 175-room Revere Beach Hotel on Revere Beach Boulevard; a 152-room Holiday Inn Express/Staybridge Suites on Revere Beach Boulevard; a 175-room Parc Hotel; a 100-room La Quinta Inns & Suites at the former Papa Gino’s site on Squire Road; and a 100-room hotel at the current Revere Car Wash on American Legion Highway.
The Hampton Inn on Lee Burbank Highway is adding three dozen rooms. In addition, there are plans for a pair of hotels at Suffolk Downs and there’s the possibility of another at the former Wonderland Greyhound Park.
“These hotel operators are not only attracted to our proximity to the airport, but all the other things Revere has to offer, including its waterfront,” said Robert O’Brien, the city’s director of Economic Development.
The mayor said hotel development is a welcome relief from the apartment communities that have risen over the last few years. While Arrigo has been supportive of residential construction, such as the Ocean 650 Apartments on Ocean Avenue and Beach House on Revere Beach Boulevard, he said the city may have reached a saturation point.
The latest proposal for apartments is at Bianchi’s, the iconic 70-year-old pizza shop. The City Council recently approved construction of a 145-unit apartment development at the restaurant on Revere Beach Boulevard.
“There isn’t much of an appetite for residential anymore,” Arrigo said. “People are asking ‘Are we willing to put residential development on every single available piece of real estate?’ The answer is no.”
The mayor said progress for the hotel project at the former Papa Gino’s location, which has been demolished, has slowed as the developer secures financing.
“It’s still on track,” he said. “Nothing will prevent them from building.”
On a hotel at the Revere Car Wash, the mayor said the InterContinental Hotels Group will bring a higher and better use to the site, as well as much needed revenue to the city.
Ward 3 Councilor Arthur F. Guinasso, whose district includes the car wash and the former pizza restaurant, said the hotels will be good for the city.
“I like the idea for hotels at those locations,” he said. “They are both perfectly situated in proximity to Boston.”
