I had the honor of joining developer Michael D’Ambra and his family and a host of state and local officials to celebrate the June 20th grand opening of the 125-room Hyatt Place hotel. The $25 million project is the first piece of a multi-phase development and the result of a decade’s worth of perseverance by D’Ambra, who never wavered from his vision when the downturn in the economy put the project on hold.  

The investment in this project also sends a strong signal that D’Ambra and his out-of-state partners, Hyatt and the Waterford Hotel Group, support the vision of City Centre Warwick – over 100 acres surrounding the airport and InterLink intermodal train station that are being transformed into a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood in which to live, work and play.

A covered skywalk offers hotel guests direct access to T.F. Green Airport and the InterLink intermodal train station, which includes MBTA commuter rail. The hotel offers a host of amenities, including free Wi-Fi throughout the facility, an around-the-clock gallery menu and market, an “Odds & Ends” service offering items for purchase, loan, or to be enjoyed at no cost, a “Coffee to Cocktails Bar,” more than 1,800 s/f of meeting space and 24-hour gym access. 

During my tenure on the City Council, I proudly supported legislation that created the zone change necessary for the property’s redevelopment as well as a Tax Stabilization Agreement for City Centre’s Intermodal district, for which this project qualified. It also received approximately $3.5 million under the statewide tax-increment financing program, $1.4 million in Rebuild Rhode Island tax credits and more than $300,000 in a sales-tax exemption on construction materials. 

The Hyatt brings our total room complement to 2,485 here in Warwick. When one considers that each hotel room night translates to roughly $433 in indirect economic benefit, Hyatt Place will have a significant and positive impact on our community – and that is aside from the construction jobs and permanent hotel positions that resulted from this development. 

Hyatt Place’s opening will provide tremendous momentum for additional development within City Centre. The city looks forward to continuing to work developers and investors who are interested in making this transit-oriented neighborhood a home for businesses and residential development alike. 

To learn more about City Centre, visit www.citycentrewarwick.com.

Joseph Solomon is the mayor of Warwick.