SoNo hotel plans to add 50 rooms in new wing
Norwalk’s newest hotel is planning a new wing with nearly 50 additional rooms in the heart of SoNo, as the district continues its revitalization with the construction of new apartments and more in the works, and more broadly across Connecticut as many hotels see a rebound in bookings.
Under the Stamfordbased developer F.D. Rich, the Norwalk Residence Inn by Marriott opened in May 2019 with 102 rooms, later adding a rooftop bar with views toward Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound. The new hotel wing would mirror the brick facade of the original building.
The South Main Street hotel was sold in September to Highline Hospitality Properties, which paid $23.7 million according to city records. In paperwork on file with the Norwalk Department of Planning & Zoning, the companies say they are working together on the new wing next door where F.D. Rich owns a small commercial building
“Expansion of a nationally recognized hotel will further assist SoNo to thrive and flourish and continue to serve as an integral component to connect and integrate the area, from the Maritime Aquarium to the South Norwalk Railroad Station.”
Text from an application before the Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission
at 31-35 South Main St.
The Norwalk Department of Planning and Zoning has approved multiple projects by F.D. Rich over the years, including the Harbourside SoNo Apartments completed last year on Water Street with nearly 130 units. CEO Tom Rich could not be reached immediately on Thursday for questions on the hotel plan.
“Expansion of a nationally recognized hotel will further assist SoNo to thrive and flourish and continue to serve as an integral component to connect and integrate the area, from the Maritime Aquarium to the South Norwalk Railroad Station,” the developers wrote in an application to the Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission.
As the year has progressed, hotels nationally have seen bookings strengthen between Monday and Wednesday according to surveys by the market research firm STR, with a bumpier performance between Thursday and Sunday as inflation has cut into family budgets for leisure travel.
Residence Inn by Marriott
hotels count heavily on business travelers who want kitchenettes during extended stays. Architectural renderings for the new Residence Inn Norwalk wing depict kitchens being included in rooms. Residence Inn Norwalk has the added benefit of being not only a short walk from the South Norwalk stop of Metro-North, but also an array of SoNo restaurants and attractions.
Washington Street has a few new additions of late, with Bistro Appetit planning a small grocery and fish market next door; and Rabbit Ears Books having opened a children’s bookstore among several new independent bookshops from Greenwich to Mystic. And the New York City restaurant Jacob’s Pickles finally appears to be moving ahead with its planned new eatery at the SoNo Collection, adjacent to Yard House.
But steps from the Residence
Inn Norwalk, a prime restaurant spot remains shuttered at the corner of South Main and Washington Street, after Local Kitchen & Beer Bar closed months into the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a traffic analysis, more than 8,800 vehicles were counted passing by the hotel on a Friday in early September, including between 500 and 600 during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The hotel developers assert that the addition should not create any “notable degradation” in their words for traffic volume and flows.
Last month, the CEO of Marriott International told investment analysts that rising interest rates appear to be having an impact on the willingness of some developers to take on debt for new hotels, but that by historic standards new construction remains elevated amid a boom jobs market that has helped fuel interest in travel despite high inflation.
“The constriction we’re seeing in the debt markets for new construction — particularly here in the U.S. — is lengthening the cycle even a bit longer in terms of getting shovels in the ground,” said Marriott CEO Tony Capuano in early November. “The strength of our brands continue to capture a disproportionate share of what’s out there.”