Mack-Cali details plans for new Port Imperial hotels

Construction is slated to begin next spring on two hotels that Mack-Cali Realty Corp. is planning for its sprawling, waterfront Port Imperial community in Hudson County.By Joshua Burd | Email | Twitter
Construction is slated to begin next spring on two hotels that Mack-Cali Realty Corp. is planning for its sprawling, waterfront Port Imperial community in Hudson County.
The Edison-based company, with its Roseland subsidiary, unveiled the plans in Weehawken today with the developer of what will be two adjoining facilities with a combined 380 suites. The Marriott hotels are slated to open by fall 2015 atop a new 850-space parking garage completed by Roseland this summer, alongside the New York waterway ferry terminal.
The developer is a partnership of Portsmouth, N.H.-based XSS Hotels and Colwen Management, Mack-Cali said in a news release. Under their plan, a 154-room Residence Inn will cater to guests who stay an average of four or five nights, while a 226-room Renaissance will be a full-service hotel with a lounge, an outdoor terrace and a function space for up to 750 guests.
The project is the latest addition to a North Jersey hotel market that has seen demand rise in recent years. Experts say the region has become more appealing as an option for New York City tourists and, at least sporadically, to support high-profile events that state officials are trying to draw, such as the 2014 Super Bowl.
After completing its new parking garage, Roseland moved to sell the commercial condominium air rights for the space above, the news release said. When complete, they are expected to generate more than full-time 150 jobs.
The hotels will be separate entities both managed by Colwen, but will be connected on the sixth floor to give guests shared access to the amenities.
They also will be among the newest pieces of Roseland’s 200-acre, $2 billion master-planned Port Imperial development, which spans two miles along the Hudson River. In June, the developer broke ground on a 280-unit luxury rental building in Weehawken, its first since being acquired by Mack-Cali last fall.
Port Imperial also is slated to be home to several years of Formula One racing, though an inaugural event scheduled for this year was postponed, and organizers reportedly have had difficulty securing financing.