Developer Somerset Development announced Wednesday it has received approvals to build a 200-room rooftop hotel at Bell Works in Holmdel.
Developer Somerset Development announced Wednesday it has received approvals to build a 200-room rooftop hotel at Bell Works in Holmdel.
The approvals came two months after the township opened its new library at Bell Works.
“This decision marks the latest development in our work to turn this formerly vacant, single-tenant campus into a thriving, self-contained metropolis in suburbia,” said Ralph Zucker, CEO and president of Somerset Development, in a prepared statement. “As we continue to add new retail options and other components that all members of the public can enjoy, a hotel will add a new level of appeal for the many large office tenants on site that welcome out-of-town visitors to their business or to conferences.”
The developer said it plans to build the hotel on the perimeter of the rooftop to preserve the 60,000-square-foot photovoltaic rooftop it began installing last year.
Somerset said it is reviewing requests for proposals from hotel and hospitality operators.
When Somerset selects an operator, the hotel will join iCIMS, WorkWave, Guardian Life Insurance and International Flavors & Fragrances, among others, as new tenants at Bell Works.
“As Bell Works continue to expand its wide range of uses and amenities, we are seeing tremendous interest from tenants in the technology sector and the rest of the business world – leasing over 800,000 square feet of office space over the last 18 months,” Garibaldi Group President Jeff Garibaldi said in a statement. Garibaldi Group serves as the exclusive broker for Bell Works.
Bell Works was originally built between 1962 and 1964 and housed Bell Laboratories, Lucent and Alcatel-Lucent. Somerset Development became the designated redeveloper for the 473-acre site in 2013.




