New hotel near stadium plans to open sales office

By MICHAEL COUSINEAU, New Hampshire Union Leader Staff

September 3, 2005 - MANCHESTER -- Its concrete shell completed this week, the Hilton Garden Inn plans to set up a local sales office by next month to hire workers and take pre-opening reservations.

Up to 40 employees will operate the 127-room hotel, slated to open about Feb. 1, according to David Roedel, a principal of Roedel Partners, the hotel developer and owner.

The $10 million hotel project was a key part in building Fisher Cats Ballpark, its adjacent neighbor to the south. The lodging is projected to pay more than $200,000 in yearly taxes the city is counting on to help fund the stadium.

Owners marked the completion of the hotel's superstructure Thursday with a pre-game reception at the stadium and the unveiling of a 40-foot-wide banner noting its upcoming opening.

"What a view," Alderman Mike Lopez said as he scanned the Merrimack River and West Side from the fifth floor.

By year's end, the Hilton reservation system is expected to be able to take reservations for stays beginning April 1, with the extra time built in should the six-story hotel open late, Roedel said.

Room rates, which aren't set yet, are expected to run generally between $125 and $175, but will be lower for its February opening, a slow period for the industry, he said.

About 70 rooms will feature an entire wall of glass to heighten views of the city skyline to the north and the stadium to the south. Guests in south-facing rooms will be able to see the action on the field.

Red brick now being installed will help tie the hotel into its Millyard neighborhood.

"It's a brand-new building, but looks like a renovated mill," architect Rolf Biggers said. "We looked at Camden Yards (in Baltimore) as a good example of bringing architecture into the proximity of a ballpark."

Although Trenton outfielder Michael Coleman, a short-timer with the Boston Red Sox, recently hit a batting practice homerun to the hotel's open third floor, guests shouldn't worry about balls breaking their hotel windows.

But people sipping drinks on the patio between the hotel and the stadium's left-field wall should keep a watchful eye for batted balls. "Bring your glove," Biggers said.