BROCKTON — Brockton’s newest hotel, a four-story, 78-room Tru by Hilton, aims to open by late summer.
Mahavir Patel of KARM Hospitality said the company picked Brockton for its $11 million investment based on the city being poised for growth.
“There was dire need for a new hotel,” Patel said last Thursday, noting that the city’s hotels are showing their age.
The new hotel is being built at Westgate Mall next to Shields MRI, where the mall borders D.W. Field Park. The proximity to Route 24 should help it attract leisure and business travelers, including people traveling to games or concerts at Gillette Stadium, Patel said.
What is Tru by Hilton?
Hilton owns 19 hotel brands. Tru, launched in 2016, aims at the middle of the market with slightly lower prices than, for instance, Hilton’s established Hampton Inn brand. It would be the second Tru in Massachusetts. The first one, in Chicopee, was charging about $116 for a room with two queen beds.
Tru aims to appeal to millennials and travelers who want sleek design at a lower price. The rooms are smaller than some other mid-range hotels, and lack closets. The hotel will offer an outdoor pool, business center and free hot breakfast, Patel said.
$431K break on city taxes
The project benefits from a tax break. Last summer it won a coveted spot in the state’s Economic Development Incentive Program, in the form of “tax increment financing.” New property value created by the project gets taxed at lower percentage which declines over the years. The 10-year tax break would be worth more than $431,000.
The tax break played a key role in attracting the hotel.
“It would have been very hard to do this project without it,” Patel said.
He thanked Mayor Robert F. Sullivan and Economic Development Director Rob May for working with him to see the deal through. City council unanimously approved the deal in August.
“Brockton’s continued development and growth has created a market for increased hotel rooms,” the mayor said in a statement to The Enterprise. “We are extremely excited to welcome Tru by Hilton as a new business that is putting its investment and commitment within the City of Champions, and we look forward to partnering with them for years to come.”
Plan is for hotel not to house homeless or refugees
Brockton officials acknowledged the fears of some residents that the hotel would be filled with refugees or people experiencing homelessness. The Zoning Board of Appeals demanded a stipulation that the hotel will be “occupied as a conventional style hotel use, [and] shall not be developed into a permanent long-term dwelling use similar to a permanent individual dwelling unit occupancy.”
As of Friday, Dec. 8, the state’s Emergency Assistance program was housing 323 families in the main coverage area of the Enterprise, according to Kevin O’Connor, spokesperson for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. That includes Brockton, Stoughton, Easton, Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater and Avon.
Asked about the new hotel participating in the state’s emergency assistance program, Patel said that is not the business plan.
“We cannot even think about going down that route,” Patel said.
Homeless people sometimes camp next door in D.W. Field Park. Brockton officials required a 10-foot-wide vegetative buffer between the hotel and the park to discourage access.
Brockton is housing 168 families in traditional shelters. In Stoughton, 14 families are in traditional shelters plus 138 families in a hotel. Bridgewater has three families in traditional shelter.
Once up and running, the hotel should employ seven or eight full-time workers and up to 20 total jobs including part-timers, Patel said. The builder will find a Hilton-approved company to operate the hotel.
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