By Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Homewood Suites by Hilton revealed plans Tuesday for its first New York City hotel and it will be in Brooklyn, according to Hotel News Source.

As first reported on Brown stoner.com, the 100-suite property will be part of Oro II, a 38-story tower at 313 Gold St., just behind the nearly-completed 40-story Oro I off Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn.

It will be a joint venture with Hilton Garden Inn but each will have a separate lobby.

Reached yesterday, Oro developer Ron Hershco confirmed the deal to the Eagle, estimating that the two hotels will “roughly� occupy the first through the 25th floors, with 74 private residential units above them in the 38-story high-rise.

Although Homewood Suites said it planned to break ground in September, and anticipates a completion date of September 2009, Hershco told the Eagle that he actually plans to break ground on Oro II next month.

“The site is cleared and ready to go,� he said.

Homewood’s 100 guest suites will be configured in a “layered tower-style setting.� In addition to having separate Homewood Suites and Hilton Garden Inn lobbies on different floors, they will also have separate elevators leading to each brand’s guest rooms.

“We are excited to begin work on the brand’s first property in New York City,� said Rebecca Wyatt, senior vice president of brand management for Homewood. “It will certainly become an instant marquis hotel for the brand and will join an impressive group of enterprises that are contributing to the development and refurbishment of Brooklyn.�

Homewood Suites will include its usual amenities, such as the Suite Start Breakfast, the Welcome Home reception, complimentary grocery shopping service, plus high-speed internet and mobile iPod training.

According to its web site, Homewood Suites is designed to make guests feel at home, providing separate living and sleeping areas and a fully equipped kitchen.

Hilton Garden Inn is a mid-priced brand geared to business travelers with everything they need to be productive on the road, according to its web site. This includes complimentary high-speed Internet access in all guestrooms and secure remote printing to the hotel’s complimentary 24-hour business center.

Hiltons Join Eight Other Hotels in Downtown Brooklyn

The two hotels join eight others in various stages of development and construction in Downtown Brooklyn. In addition to The NY Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge at 333 Adams St., whose addition is already completed, these include the Sheraton/Aloft at 216-222 Duffield St. (The Lam Group); The Smith at 75 Smith St. (Hersha Hospitality Group); Hotel Indigo at 237 Duffield St. (V3 Hotels); Cambria Suites at 75 Schermerhorn St. (Choice Hotels); Holiday Inn at 300 Schermerhorn St. (Tyler Hospitality); Hampton Inn at 125 Flatbush Ave. Ext.; and as yet unidentified McSam Group hotel at 40 Nevins St. Additional hotel sites could include Atlantic Yards and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Bloggers Comment

Among the blog comments on Brownstoner.com Tuesday were these: “I bought at Oro and I think it’s great,� said one. “For one thing, I won't be staring at a hole in the ground outside my window forever. In addition, it provides additional impetus for the city to complete the streetscape project, so the area does not look like the eye sore that it is now.�

Said another, “As someone who stays at Hilton frequently, the two Hilton brands they mentioned are both what I would call lower tier Hiltons (not as low as Hampton Inn though), and are typically three-story hotels in suburban/rural locations.�

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