Work to begin on new hotel project
Hotel is the final phase of SORA West project
Keystone Property Group held a groundbreaking ceremony last week to mark the official start of the final construction phase in the SORA West mixed-use development in Conshohocken.
The 127-room boutique Hotel West + Main, is part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Construction on the hotel is expected to be completed by the second half of 2022.
In his remarks, Bill Glazer, CEO of Keystone Property Group, told those gathered that originally, the ground breaking and construction on the hotel was scheduled for March 2020.
“We were supposed to break ground on a new hotel at the time the hotel world came to screeching halt,” he said during the March 4 event.
Glazer added that since the day the project was paused last year, “the world has come back pretty ferociously — the stock market for sure.” He thanked state and local officials for their support.
The hotel is the final phase of the 520,000-square-foot SORA West development — a project that includes the newly completed headquarters for Amerisource Bergen, the reuse of a 146-year-old historic firehouse and a 12-story public and private parking garage.
“I’ve had my eye on Conshohocken for quite some time, but needed the right project to make it work. When I was first introduced to the SORA West project about four years ago, I knew this was it,” said Bob Giardino, senior director franchise development, northeast, Hilton, adding that he met with Keystone Property Group to discuss how the hotel could complement the overall development. “And thus our partnership was born.”
Hotel West + Main will become Conshohocken’s third hotel and its first newly constructed hotel since 2001.
The new hotel is a “statement project,” according to state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-7th Dist.).
“And it’s a message there is possibility if we believe, if we put our mind to it and if we don’t have short-term vision but have a long-term plan and a long-term scope,” he said.
Tina Sokolowski, Conshohocken Borough vice president said Thursday’s groundbreaking illustrates the success that can be derived from public/ private partnerships.
“The SORA West project is symbol of the economic growth that has changed the face of the borough for the better,” she said.
Keystone has partnered with Concord Hospitality Enterprises to operate Hotel West + Main which will feature a first-floor restaurant with an outdoor terrace connecting the hotel to the historic firehouse, a second-floor gastropub experience, and a rooftop bar and lounge with views of Conshohocken.
Last week, Keystone Property Group announced that it had sold a preferred equity stake in the 429,122-square-foot headquarters built for AmerisourceBergen Corp. to PRP, a Washington, D.C.-based real estate firm. AmerisourceBergen’s 11-story headquarters building will serve as an anchor for the SORA mixed-use development .
SORA West is located at One West First Avenue in Conshohocken. Construction on the AmerisourceBergen office building began in April 2019.