Hospitality giant Hyatt Hotels Corp. has joined New York developer Silverstein Properties’ high-stakes bid to build a mixed-use casino resort just north of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s far west side.
Destination by Hyatt was added to the developer's proposal as the brand for the 1,000-key hotel planned for The Avenir mixed-use entertainment complex, said Silverstein and its joint-venture gaming partners Rush Street Gaming and Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment. A collection of independent hotels and resorts, the Destination by Hyatt brand includes the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, according to its website.
Hyatt’s entry into the proposal comes just a week before the June 27 deadline for the casino license applications. Silverstein, known for its role to help rebuild lower Manhattan in the wake of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and its partners recently also added some high-profile restaurateurs, including Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, as part of their plan for The Avenir.
The project that would rise on 92,000 square feet of undeveloped land at 41st Street and 11th Avenue includes a nine-story podium containing the casino, a food hall, an approximately 150-seat boutique entertainment venue, conference and meeting spaces, a spa and an outdoor pool, the joint venture said in May, adding that The Avenir would feature ample natural light, unlike traditional casino designs.
The Avenir plans to tap into the World of Hyatt’s 56 million-plus loyalty reward members to help drive business to the West Side neighborhood, the joint venture said. Hyatt’s global sales force, convention alliances and loyalty integration also would help drive business to the Javits Center, according to the partnership.
Hyatt already has a “proven track record of synergy” with nearby conference centers as evidenced by properties such as the Hyatt Regency Denver, adjacent to the Colorado Convention Center, and Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, near Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, Silverstein and its partners said.
“New York City is competing globally for exhibitions, conventions and meetings,” Silverstein Properties President Tal Kerret said in a statement. Kerret also said The Avenir “will help support and add to New York’s vital tourism and convention industries” and “drive new business to Manhattan’s Far West Side.”
Economic impact critical
For Hyatt, the project would “represent a significant milestone” in its “strategic expansion in key travel destinations,” said Dan Hansen, head of Americas development at Hyatt. Destination by Hyatt doesn't yet have a location in New York, according to its website.
The Avenir is expected to create 5,000 casino and hospitality jobs, the joint venture said.
A project’s economic impact is a key consideration for any casino bid to win one of the up to three downstate gaming licenses that the state is expected to give by the end of this year in and around New York City.
Hyatt’s entry comes after three developers withdrew their bids for a casino. They include the proposed Hudson Yards West casino from Related Companies, Oxford Properties and Wynn Resorts.
Eight known casino contenders remain in the ring. In Manhattan, other contenders are the Times Square casino from SL Green Realty and Caesars Entertainment and a Freedom Plaza gaming resort complex south of the United Nations proposed by the Soloviev Group and its casino partner Mohegan.
Outside of Manhattan, proposals include one from Steve Cohen, the New York Mets owner and billionaire hedge fund investor, and his partner, Hard Rock International. Their bid seeks to transform some 50 acres of parking lots around the Citi Field baseball stadium in Queens.