L: Second Development Services' condo plan for 88 Schermerhorn. R: Motto by Hilton rendering via Danny Forster & Architecture
Compared to the other boroughs, Brooklyn would seem to be a hospitality desert - as The Real Deal points out, there are only 78 hotels here as opposed to 135 in Queens and a whopping 435 in Manhattan. However, that number is about to rise: One block from Hilton Brooklyn, developers AWH Partners and Opterra Capital announced that 88 Schermerhorn Street will operate as a Motto by Hilton, a new micro-hotel brand from the hospitality giant.
The new concept is distinguished by its small rooms with space-saving features, Connected Room technology that allows guests to control their rooms through the Hilton Honors app, and emphasis on a premium sleep experience. A press release also notes that these will be situated in “the most desirable urban destinations” and cites deals in San Diego, Savannah, Dublin, Boston, Washington D.C., and the Marylebone section in London in addition to Brooklyn.
Plans have not yet been filed, but AWH principal and co-founder Russell Flicker says the new hotel will be approximately 25 stories and 120 rooms. Danny Forster & Architecture has been tapped for the new hotel and is considering modular construction. The firm is currently using this method to build an AC by Marriott Hotel at 842 Sixth Avenue in NoMad. At a planned 25-story height, it is poised to overtake CitizenM Bowery as the tallest modular hotel in the world.
The developers bought 88 Schermerhorn Street from Louis Greco’s Second Development Services (SDS) for $13.6 million over the summer. SDS bought the site for $11 million in 2013 with the intention of buying 86 Schermerhorn Street as well, demolishing both townhouses, and building a 27-story condo tower. However, opposition from local groups kept 86 Schermerhorn off the market.
Despite the scrapping of this condo project, this neighborhood certainly does not suffer from a dearth of new residential development. On the contrary, it is in the throes of a building boom. A few doors up, sales launched earlier this fall at The Symon, a new boutique condominium that took inspiration from its historic surroundings. Around the corner, construction is underway on One Boerum Place. Additionally, new skyline standouts like Brooklyn Point and 11 Hoyt are just blocks away.
The eastern-most walk-up (left) will be demolished for the new hotel tower (Google streetview)
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
