Luxury Hotel to Check into the Bronx

In a first, a luxury hotel is checking into the Bronx. Marriott Corp. has agreed to open a Residence Inn in Simone Development's new 370,000-square-foot Hutchinson Metro Center Atrium, in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. The new hotel will also get a big L.A. Fitness Center. It'll be a boon for tourists, the borough president says.

Simone Development Co. announced that it has reached an agreement for Marriott to operate a luxury hotel under its Residence Inn brand, at Metro Center Atrium—Simone's new 370,000-square-foot mixed-use property in the Pelham Bay section.

The developer also announced it has agreed to lease 43,000 square feet in the building for a major fitness center. The Atrium is the latest building to sprout on Simone's 42-acre Hutchinson Metro Center commercial campus. Other tenants in the complex include Visiting Nurse Service of New York and medical offices.

"We're thrilled that Marriott has chosen this location," says Joseph Simone, president of Simone Development. "This truly is a landmark event for Metro Center Atrium, for our company and for the Bronx."

Metro Center Atrium, which is located between the Hutchinson River Parkway and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, will also feature three floors of Class A office and medical space, as well as retail and restaurant space. More than 1,100 parking spaces will also be included. The new hotel is expected to open in two years.

"My office is thrilled that the Bronx will see the development of a high-level hotel in the east Bronx," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in a statement. "This hotel will help drive business to our borough, offer tourists a chance to spend more than one day in the Bronx and shows us that the business community has a positive feeling about the future of the Bronx."

The new complex is part of the final two phases of the Hutchinson Metro Center. It is under construction and is expected to be ready for office and retail occupancy in October 2013.

L.A. Fitness is expected to open its new state-of-the-art center in November of next year. According to the developer, retailers will find Metro Center Atrium attractive because there are more than 4,000 people working at the Hutchinson Metro Center and another 800 are coming when New York City's 911 call center north of the Hutchinson Metro Center is completed.

"We are off to a fast start and anticipate tremendous demand for the remaining office, medical, and retail space, particularly given the strong performance of previous phases of our development at Hutchinson Metro Center," said Mr. Simone. These are exciting times for the Bronx and we're very proud to be a major contributor to the economic renaissance underway in the borough."