Downtown Wilmington Gets First New Hotel in 20 Years

Downtown Wilmington recently celebrated its first new hotel opening in two decades.

The recently completed 96-suite Residence Inn by Marriott will operate as a Marriott franchise, according to a press release from Marriott International.

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Located in what was formerly the Beneficial Building, the hotel offers studio and one-bedroom suites designed for stays of five nights or more. Each room includes a kitchen with residential sized appliances.

The new hotel is about 20 miles from the Philadelphia International Airport and provides access to such local attractions as The Grand Opera House, Chase Riverfront Center and New Castle County Courthouse.

Amenities at the new Marriott property include hotel a fitness center, two meeting rooms (totaling 1,590 square feet) and an onsite restaurant.

The hotel also intends to offer a selection of healthy food choices at a daily free hot breakfast, a grocery delivery service, complimentary Wi-Fi, a 24-hour onsite food-and-beverage market, dry-cleaning services and an onsite guest laundry room.

Guest rooms meanwhile will feature plush mattresses and crisp linens, a large, well-lit work desk, and ergonomic chair.

“We are pleased to introduce Residence Inn hotels in the Wilmington area,” Diane Mayer, VP and global brand manager, Residence Inn, said in a statement. “When on the road for an extended period, our guests need space to spread out, maintain their life’s pace and restore their energy to help them maintain a healthy balance and routine while traveling. This new hotel offers them a seamless blend of modern style and functionality that allows them to settle in and thrive.”

The property is part of what is being described as an emerging hotel boom in the downtown Wilmington area.

Negotiations are taking place for two more hotels on the Riverfront. The properties would be built on what’s known as Brownfields sites, which are typically vacant or underutilized land where development is impacted by possible environmental contamination, according to Delaware Online.