From Hugh Bailey, CT Post:
A 120-room hotel will be constructed at Bridgeport’s Steelpointe Harbor development, the latest in a series of announcements highlighting progress at the long-stalled waterfront project.
Mayor Bill Finch unveiled the plans Thursday for a Hampton Inn, a Hilton brand that will be built following completion of work on the waterfront bulkhead, which is ongoing. The six-story building is to be designed with a nautical look, said Bob Christoph Jr, principal of Bridgeport Landing Development, which is part of Miami-based RCI Group.
“Hilton has given their approval to go ahead with the project,” Christoph said. “It’s exciting. It speaks volumes to where the project has gotten, and the comfort level that national and international brands have with coming to the city of Bridgeport.”
Full story here.
Stevie says this a Five-Star Hotel.
This is what consumers have to say.
www .consumeraffairs.com/travel/hampton-inn.html
Hampton INN is exactly what its name implies, an Inn (motel). Look at them and their locations. I believe our current Holiday Inn would give them a run for the money. THINK SMALL, STAY SMALL. Oh, but we are the LARGEST CITY?
I was thinking maybe we could get a waterfront Super 8 coupled with drug/sex trafficking. SMH.
All the promises about high-end stores and hotels is a bunch of baloney. Hampton Inn, really?
This is Stevie A’s idea of a Five-Star Hotel
Hampton Inn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hampton Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Hampton by Hilton are the names of a brand of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. Most Hampton hotels are independently owned and operated by franchisees. Most Hampton Hotels (except the new Hampton Boutique Hotels) are considered limited-service hotels, as they do not offer an on-site restaurant nor amenities such as bell services and concierge found at full-service hotels. The Hampton hotel brand primarily caters to the budget-minded business and leisure traveler.
SWEET!!!
I think this is good news.
Two years ago I put a visiting publisher in the Stamford Hampton Inn and it was almost $200 a night. That’s due to Stamford’s booming economy and Bridgeport is not comparable. Yet.
Nothing is ever perfect and why do all of you think we deserve the Taj Majal?
Real estate is a very long-term development and when Bridgeport changes, land value will also. But candidly, we are talking 20, 30+ years.
To make my point, I re-post the following:
“Too many posters condemn the incumbent mayor (any incumbent mayor) for not being perfect and having perfect outcomes. Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world and you have to build off reality.
And the reality is quite simple. Like all industrial revolution cities, Bridgeport has very limited open and clean land to develop. Instead we have a really tight footprint that has to be heavily remediated.
When you combine municipal corruption as seen under Ganim with that remediation reality, it’s not hard to understand why it is so difficult to get anything done here or why it takes so long.
That’s why we have had to make sweetheart deals just to get something going. If we do okay, better deals will result.
Of the two variables; contaminated property and municipal corruption, if we are cleaning up properties for new uses, why would we bring corruption back into the picture with a new Ganim administration?”
Not the Taj Mahal, but we are going in the direction of having an RV park.
Well, I guess Tom Bodette will not be leaving the light on for us.
Once the Hampton Inn people figure out the real deal at Steal Point, they’ll hand off their option to Motel 6.
Dennis, you asked why do we think we deserve the Taj, well that’s what the people in power told us we would get at steal point. There will be another announcement in a few weeks welcoming Walmart at the old Direktor boat building site. No matter what you say, giving developers 40-year breaks on taxes is wrong. Let them build elsewhere. Half the junk they are proposing won’t be standing 30 years from now. What other city do you know that hires an elected official from one town down the line and makes him the Economic development director? First of all, your candidate had no trouble building a park on a former factory site with no remediation. Did the hag who’s Finch’s campaign manager have you bring up Ganim’s record? Enough of that crap, tell us about that great BS artist Finch and what he has done for women and minorities. I will tell you, nothing, zip, zip point shit, nada and nothing.
Same predictable negativity from the anti-Finch crowd. Very, very tiresome.
Don’t read any more until after the election also get your rose colored glasses fixed
John, but very, very true!
Oh give it a rest guys, the Hampton Inn is not bad and sure better than the Sunnyside Inn.
Well said, donj.
Yes, you’re right, donj–we should all learn to look at the Sunnyside!
Most people use the Hampton Inn as a “stop along the way.” I was under the impression we were building a destination.
Ladies and gentlemen. This is a small hotel that will most likely have 100 percent occupancy. It is a riot how the small-minded bloggers belittle every new development as though this is nothing. Steelpointe is going to be a thriving section of town. The Hampton In will create jobs . It will pave the way for housing and a larger four-star hotel on the peninsula. I like the nautical theme. There will be a demand for a larger hotel and convention center down the road. The naysayers on this blog are a riot. Ripping apart these development efforts does not aid other candidates. It is bad PR for the city as well as a real turn-off for potential investors. Downtown and Steelpointe will have over 2000 new units of housing as well as 220 on the South End waterfront and 336 in the West End. Things are happening and you need to look at the bigger picture. Even I am not thrilled with a six-story structure but I believe we will eventually get a 20-story highrise. It would be nice to see a changing skyline. Our suburbs are approved for serious highrises. Bridgeport is well on its way whether the blogoshere likes it or not. Bass Pro looks gorgeous, Chipotle, Verizon, Starbucks, the Cineplex luxury movie theatre, restaurant and a Hampton Inn is extremely exciting.
You just cannot keep knocking every base hit. Everyone driving on 95 will be spreading positive karma.
I actually like Hampton Inn. It’s affordable, comfortable and very well maintained. It is the “Walmart” of the Hilton Hotel franchises, but it beats Motel 6. It’s the movie theater complex that will be a dud.
Who is planning the development of Steelpointe? It seems like the developments are being slapped together to provide a quick optic things are moving forward. If things are moving, what is the final destination? What is the vision, and why would anyone want to stop by the waterfront and go inside to catch a movie? Why would they not want to stay outside and catch a Striped Bass or a few rays?
WOW, REALLY. Hampton Inn is a decent little motel, and they serve breakfast I believe, but I thought like most of you, at least a Courtyard by Marriott. Maybe Hampton will build a higher-end inn???
Any word on the tax abatement?
Show Me The Money???
Steve, do you know if they are planning a nice high-end condo or houses, maybe gated, along the water?
Coach T, I am not a spokesperson for Steelpointe, but I canot imagine them building residential housing on the peninsula that does not include water views and is not higher end. Seriously, excellent commuter location. Anything less than 15 stories would be a joke!
ONE WOULD NEVER KNOW IT.
🙂
Hampton Inn is a franchise arrangement. Apparently, The Hilton (and others) do not have confidence in the market potential. Much will depend on who the franchisee is.
For months we’ve listened to Steve Auerbach tell us Bass Pro and Chipotle and Starbucks will lead to a 4 to 5 star hotel. But what do we get? A motel! It remains to be seen how many tax-free years the Hilton Corp. will get to build the motel. How many times are we going to accept mediocrity?
Straight Arrow, you very rarely post and now you respond to my months of optimistic marketing of this city. Do you have a candidate who has a better plan or just unhappy with the mayor’s good news?
I am certain better days are coming and the city and its residents will be the beneficiary. Honestly, the negativity and hopes for the project failure is mind boggling.
Stevie, what’s next, a high-end Dollar store?
You make a point. It’s taken years just to get it off the ground and now that it is, NOTHING BUT NEGATIVISM. It is mind boggling.
Not bad, so we move the ladies off Middle St. Finch can offer them a cheap room or two, this way he can finish the Main St. north project and put up another green sign!
Together, we’re making Bridgeport a city that works for everyone!
And is anyone thinking about the impact a Hampton Inn might have on the Holiday Inn? The Holiday Inn has been a fixture in downtown Bridgeport for years. What is the negative impact going to be for them? They don’t have tax abatement deals. What a shame!
Usually I just listen, but sometimes when my blood begins to boil, I find I have to post.
Coach, you’re right. There is a lot of negativity about Steal Point and it has taken more like 35 years to see any progress. The reason for the negativity is we were promised high-end stores, luxury hotels, upscale businesses, great restaurants, but instead we’re getting a fishing and camping store, a Mexican restaurant and a high-priced coffee shop. Not exactly what Bridgeport was promised when hundreds of blacks and Puerto Ricans were put out of their homes.
Bridgeport will never fly from the ashes of discontent like the Phoenix until the leadership quits taking better than nothing. That’s all Bridgeport has been getting under Bill Finch, better than nothing. Minimum-wage jobs, better than nothing! Bass Pro, Chipotle and Starbucks, better than nothing. The Hampton Inn, better than nothing! You can rest assured the people on Economic Development who work for Mayor Finch from Stamford would never let these business ventures be a part of the uplift of Stamford because they know better than nothing isn’t better than nothing.
Okay, I’m going to stay positive here. Chipotle, yes, low minimum-wage job, but it will be a hit, Starbucks has a big rep, Bass Pro, well there isn’t a store like it, it has the potential to bring a ton of money into Bpt, from all over the state. Where is there a high-end cinema like Cinépolis, there isn’t one. All the stores that are coming in are new and have proven records. The Hampton has thrown me for a loop, but maybe they will amp it up a bit and it’s good competition for the Holiday Inn.
Hmmm, how about a nice brewery/restaurant on the water, or a BJ’s brew house?