Bklyn Marriott Kicks Off Major Expansion

BAY NEWS
January 31, 2005

By Thomas Tracy

	Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Borough President Marty Markowitz and others break ground on what will soon be a 24-story extension of the Marriott Hotel. Photos by Paul Martinka

Michael Bloomberg joined Brooklyn developer Joshua Muss and other borough notables as they announced the expansion of the Brooklyn Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.

The $77 million project calls for a new, 24-story building to be erected adjacent to the current hotel, creating 280 additional rooms, bringing the number of available guest rooms up to 656. The pedestrian plaza between Adams and Jay streets will also be improved and upgraded.

Retail space will be created, although no retailer has committed to the project yet, officials said.

Muss, the CEO and President of Muss Development, said that a two-story pedestrian bridge will link the two buildings.

The expansion project proves that the city's tourism trade has bounced back in the wake of 9/11 and Brooklyn has become a big part of it, Mayor Bloomberg said.

The Muss Development, Company plans to expand upon the highly successful Brooklyn Marriot at the Brooklyn Bridge, bringing 280 additional rooms. The two buildings will be connected by a pedestrian bridge.

"An expanded Marriott Hotel will not only add capacity to one of the city's busiest hotels, but will also support Brooklyn's growing convention and tourism business, which is increasingly vital to the area's growth," said Bloomberg, adding that the project will generate 600 construction jobs and more than 100 permanent jobs as well as generate millions in new tax revenue.

"Our city's tourism industry is booming," he said. "Visitors are coming here in record numbers because we're making the city - and Brooklyn- cleaner, safer, and more exciting every day."

Bloomberg was joined by Borough President Marty Markowitz and City Councilmembers David Yassky and Letitia James, who all agreed that the Brooklyn Marriott has been a staggering success since its opening in 1998.

	Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that expansion proves that tourism "is booming in the city."

The Brooklyn Marriott has been designated "Marriott Hotel of the Year" for both 2000 and 2001 and rated higher than any of the 300 full-service hotels in the chain. The hotel and its staff continue to get outstanding marks during routine customer satisfaction surveys.

The hotel is so popular that it is continually booked solid, Yassky said.

"One of the biggest constituent complaints I get besides the traditional pothole problem or honking is, 'When my family comes to visit, they can't get a room at the Marriott."' Yassky joked, adding that he encourages these people to call 311. "This project could not be more timely."

James, who has in the past raised concerns about other construction projects in downtown Brooklyn, particularly the Atlantic Yards project, called the expansion "good, smart development."

"The Brooklyn Marriott has been a wonderful corporate neighbor," she said.

The expansion will be built on this spot, which is adjacent to the hotel.

"It's hard to believe that there was a time before the Brooklyn Marriott," said Markowitz. "It has become so much a part of our lives."

"When this idea was conceived, it was during some of Brooklyn's most challenging days," Markowitz said. "But Muss had a vision. Through all of the challenges, he never gave up and today we celebrate that vision."

"I'm convinced more than ever that tourists and others throughout the city, the nation and the world would choose to come to the Brooklyn Marriott and then take a day trip into Manhattan," Markowitz said.

Supporters of the plan say that the Marriott expansion is part of the administration's plans to grow Downtown Brooklyn into a "24 hour, mixed-use district" coupled with the recently approved Downtown Brooklyn rezoning plan, the- Atlantic Yards project and the BAM Local Development Corporation's cultural planning district.