‘Upscale’ hotel construction on schedule
MEADOW LANDS – The developer and construction director for the new upscale Hyatt Place hotel at The Meadows Casino said Thursday the project is on schedule to open in March.
During an update tour for media, officials said a recent run of good weather put the hotel right where it needs to be.
“September was just a great month for construction,” said Christopher Dixon, vice president of asset management for Pittsburgh-based FFC Capital, which through its Meadows Hotel Associates subsidiary, is building the county’s first Hyatt-badged hotel.
“September is the reason this building is sitting where it is,” added Peter Kirk, director of construction for Design Builders of Ohio.
A topping-off ceremony, celebrating the completion of the building’s roof, was planned for Thursday evening.
The project was described by Meadows General Manager Sean Sullivan as a key component of The Meadows’ 180-acre “campus” that includes the racetrack and one of the largest casinos in the Mid-Atlantic region. When completed, the hotel will be connected from its fourth floor by a skywalk to the casino’s second floor.
“Guests can walk from their hotel room with a light sweater into the casino,” Sullivan said, adding the skywalk is expected to be installed just after Thanksgiving.
While Dixon and Kirk said the 155-room hotel isn’t a luxury model, it is definitely upscale because it will include a large full-service bar and a sushi bar as well as eight double-room suites, something not ordinarily built into Hyatt Place models.
Other amenities will include a 24/7 guest kitchen serving made-to-order entrees and snacks, while the Parlay bar will feature an outdoor patio and fire pit.
Kirk noted the hotel’s rooms, as well as its roof, include extra sound-proofing material, insulating guests from noise from passing traffic and overhead aircraft.
“One of the biggest complaints with hotels is noise,” Dixon said of the extra efforts to eliminate it.
The main floor will also contain 1,800 square feet of flexible meeting and conference space with banquet and catering menus and packages as well as all audio-visual technology.
Sullivan said The Meadows committed to 5,000 room rentals a year from the Hyatt, and said members of its Players Club will be able to use points to rent rooms or receive room discounts.
“The hotel is a tremendous asset,” Sullivan said, noting when the Bethlehem Sands casino added a 308-room hotel, “it really gave their patrons an additional experience that wasn’t offered before.”
In addition to the Hyatt Place hotel, The Meadows and its guests will also benefit from a separate project known as “Street at The Meadows” being developed by Horizon Properties on 14.5 acres of land it purchased from The Meadows that fronts Racetrack Road.
On Thursday, steel could be seen rising out of the ground for that project, which will include 90 one- and two-bedroom apartments, several casual dining restaurants and 34,000 square feet of retail space when it opens later next year.
In addition, Sullivan said The Meadows has another two acres of land in front of the hotel for which it is seeking a casual dining restaurant.
Sullivan said all of the new projects are part of the long-term vision of Meadows owner William Paulos.
“It’s a 180-acre campus that been really well put together,” Sullivan said.