Boston: A Hospitality Hot Spot

By Dion Sorrentino  | JULY 2019

Boston has long attracted foreign investors as a place to safeguard capital investments, both in real estate purchases and through the abundant financial firms in the city. Now, in addition to that, Boston attracts foreign tourists as well. It has become a true international city for both business and culture, as has been reflected in the recent boom in hospitality development.

The Back Bay is a perfect case in point, with the Four Seasons recently delivered at One Dalton and the Raffles Boston Hotel greenlighted to move forward: Two hotel brands synonymous with luxury. The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences sits across from the Prudential Center in the heart of the Back Bay, and it is home to the most expensive condo sale not only in Boston, but in all New England. The hotel portion is the second Four Seasons in the city, joining the original location along Boston Common. That places Boston in elite company, as only a handful of international cities host two hotels under the Four Seasons brand, including the likes of London, New York, Shanghai, and Istanbul. Raffles is a chain of luxury hotels originating from Singapore with a presence throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The approved 147-room, 146-condo, 33-story project, the brand’s first foray into North America, is scheduled to open in 2021.

A swath of new hotel and residential projects in the Seaport, the recently opened Encore Casino and Hotel, and the revamping of the Langham and Taj hotels in conjunction with the new luxury Back Bay projects ensure that Boston is well positioned to accommodate the recent uptick in international and domestic tourism around the city. Transit-focused developments are also placing emphasis on hotel projects, including a citizenM brand hotel underway at the Hub on Causeway above North Station and the 2018 The Row Hotel at Assembly Row honored as No. 44 on the Travel + Leisure top 100 hotels in the world list. Delta has also announced plans to join JetBlue in making Boston Logan Airport an operations hub. This news comes after Logan had its busiest year ever in 2018, servicing 56 international destinations and handling more than 40 million passengers. This is up from 30 destinations and 26 million passengers a decade ago. With Boston’s life science, tech, and education institutes attracting international talent and its rich history and culture drawing in tourists, new hotels and residences are well positioned for continued success throughout the city.