Boston/Brookline, MA National Development has announced that the planned hotel at the former Circle Cinema site will be an AC Hotel by Marriott.  Located on the Boston-Brookline municipal line in Cleveland Circle, the 162-room, European-style boutique hotel is anticipated to start construction in early 2016. The project is a joint venture with Boston Development Group.  Charles River Realty Investors is an investor in The Circle development.  Elkus Manfredi Architects provided the exterior design for the hotel.  Cranshaw Construction is the general contractor for both buildings.

The vacant cinema building and the former Applebee’s restaurant will be demolished to make way for The Circle project, which was recently approved by both the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Town of Brookline.  The AC Hotel will share the property with Waterstone at The Circle, a 92-unit luxury senior community.  Both buildings will be prominent from Cleveland Circle, are opposite two MBTA Green Line stations, and feature ground floor retail space on Chestnut Hill Avenue.

“A high quality hotel has been part of the vision of The Circle from the beginning,” said Ted Tye, Managing Partner of National Development.  “We are excited to announce the AC Hotel by Marriott flag.  This hotel, which has a modern urban design, will serve the Boston, Brookline and Newton area including nearby Boston College.”

AC Hotels by Marriott are inspired by Marriott’s European joint venture with AC Hotels which includes 79 properties in Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.  The Circle hotel will be a select service hotel offering a bistro, bar, fitness and meeting spaces.  It caters to a guest seeking a sleeker, more chic experience.  Marriott calls the AC “stylish, urban, cosmopolitan and tailor-made for people looking for a new way of understanding, experiencing and feeling the city."