Image courtesy of BA400 LLC
A year and a half after buying the property, a European investment firm has filed plans to convert an office building facing Boston Harbor into a hotel.
An LLC controlled by executives at JAJ Investment Group told Boston planning officials that the company wants to turn 400 Atlantic Ave. into a 113-key hotel. Delivery is expected in late 2027 or early 2028.
The 6-story building sold to Luxembourg-based JAJ for $30 million in 2024. It’s been vacant since 2023, when law firm Goulston & Storrs relocated to One Post Office Square. It sits between the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf and a federally-owned office building at 408 Atlantic Ave. used by the Coast Guard but in line for an “accelerated” sale.
A project notification form filed with the Boston Planning Department last week said the 98,800-square-foot building would include 20 suites within its 113-room count, and a 7,000 restaurant and bar. No parking will be included on-site, but the filing says JAJ plans to lease a small number of spaces in a nearby garage.
In addition to interior renovations to add rooms and amenities, JAJ plans a major renovations to 400 Atlantic Ave.’s harbor-facing facade in line with historic preservation regulations and removing 1980s-era glass storefront windows on the sixth floor, replacing them with balconies for top-floor guest rooms.
Ground-floor amenities identified in floorplans filed with the city include a bar facing Atlantic Avenue, a restaurant facing the building’s existing rear and the Boston Harborwalk, a pool and sauna opening onto the rear deck, and a meeting room and prefunction space on the Atlantic Avenue side of the first floor.
The renovation will be designed to comply with the state’s Stretch Energy Code, using all-electric HVAC systems but also gas-fired hot water heaters and kitchen equipment. To protect against coastal flooding, the building will be fitted for flood barriers, and all mechanical equipment will be raised above expected flood levels.
JAJ has limited experience converting historic buildings into high-end hotels in Europe, and will be acting as both developer and project architect, according to the 400 Atlantic Ave. filings.
Despite generally strong performance of local hotels, Boston has only a handful of new hotel projects in its pipeline. Industry observers blame high barriers to entry in the Boston market and the high cost of new development.
