Jersey City welcomed its newest luxury hotel when the Westin Jersey City Newport celebrated its grand debut on Monday.
The 23-story, 429-room hotel on Washington Boulevard opened after over two years of construction. Hundreds of special guests were on hand, including Gov. Jon Corzine, U.S. senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, and Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
“I look at today’s opening as a spring of hope in a dark winter.” – U.S. Senator Robert Menendez
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Menendez, who stayed at the hotel this past weekend with his entire legislative staff for a retreat, remarked during the ceremony that the hotel was another “crown jewel” in the development of the Newport area, bringing jobs and revenues to the city in difficult economic times.
“I look at today’s opening as a spring of hope in a dark winter,” Menendez said.
There are 230 employees working at the hotel, the majority of whom are Hudson County residents.
The hotel was developed by the LeFrak Organization, and is owned as a joint venture by LeFrak and Melvin Simon & Associates. It will be operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
The hotel has 20,500 square feet of meeting space, including 30 meeting rooms, and a grand ballroom with more than 10,000 square feet of space and 20-foot ceilings. It can easily accommodate 1,450 guests for a reception, or 790 for a seated dinner.
The rates for rooms range from $179 to $249. As of last week, according to a hotel sales manager, approximately 20 percent of the rooms have been occupied since the hotel opened for business two weeks ago.
The hotel is the fifth luxury hotel in Downtown Jersey City, all within a 10-block radius.
Hailing hotel to the highest
“Great moments are borne from great opportunities,” said Michael McLaughlin, General Manager of the Westin Jersey City Newport, as he launched the grand opening ceremony with many of the hotel’s employees standing behind him on a staircase.
“We honor ourselves to inspirational service for others,” new employee and Bayonne resident Gizel Francisco told the crowd, before leading the employees in loud unison: “We are Westin!”
Richard LeFrak, president of the LeFrak Organization, said the hotel was another part of the 20-year plus development of the Newport community, and credited his sons Jamie and Harrison with getting the project off the ground.
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy offered his usual description of Jersey City as a “gateway” to Manhattan, with the advantages of no income and payroll taxes, and congratulated Westin and the LeFrak Organization for building and opening the hotel.
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg called the employees the “real celebrities” at the ceremony.
“These folks are ready to go to work,” Lautenberg said. “I don’t know if it’s shovel-ready or bedsheets-ready.”
Before the ribbon cutting, Gov. Corzine described the hotel as one of several new businesses opening recently in New Jersey – including the Major League Baseball Network’s new headquarters in Secaucus – that will bring hundreds of jobs to the state.
Corzine, perhaps jokingly, also said he and other politicians will hold their fundraisers at the hotel.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.