Convention Center Expansion No Boon to Back Bay Hotels
The proposed $400 million expansion of the Boston’s gigantic Seaport convention hall could turn out to be one very sweet deal for a Texas tycoon and GOP mega-donor.
The proposed $400 million expansion of the Boston’s gigantic Seaport convention hall could turn out to be one very sweet deal for a Texas tycoon and GOP mega-donor.
As the downtown economy reopens, Boston is set to absorb nearly 2,200 additional hotel rooms this year. The additional 5.5 percent in room supply is the largest in 20 years, and it hits a market that suffered the nation’s second-worst financial performance after New York City in 2020.
The timing of Massachusetts’ reopening could not be better: Not only is the reopening taking place during the unofficial first weekend of summer, but Boston will soon boast newly-erected and newly-renovated hotels that provide even more lodging options throughout various neighborhoods in the city
The Baker administration has filed legislation to raise the threshold at which public entities are required to bid out contracts, in the hope that it will help more minority- and women-owned construction firms get a slice of the stat’s construction spending pie.