Hospitality

PHILADELPHIA — Crews have broken ground on the $34 million Courtyard by Marriott at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Ensemble Hotel Partners is developing the 172-room hotel, which is the first for the Navy Yard Business Park. The Navy Yard is home to more than 120 companies, including Urban Outfitters, Tasty Baking Co. and Flowers Foods. The new 90,000-square-foot hotel will feature 2,000 square feet of meeting space, an upscale restaurant and a fitness center. Erdy McHenry Architects is designing the property and INTECH Construction will serve as the design-build contractor. The property will be at the corner of Rouse Boulevard and Intrepid Avenue.

NEW YORK CITY — Johnson Capital and Better Commercial Mortgage have arranged a $9.5 million loan for the 128-room Wyndham Garden Hotel in the Long Island City section of Queens. The debt will be used to refinance an existing land and bridge loan. A Queens-based developer opened the select-service hotel in May, which is located at 44-29 9th St. Daniel Lisser of Johnson Capital and Better Commercial Mortgage jointly arranged the three-year loan through Hall Structured Finance, a private direct lender.

NEW YORK CITY — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Host Hotels & Resorts have opened the Westin New York Grand Central. The property was converted from the former New York Helmsley Hotel following a $75 million renovation. Features of the new hotel include 774 guest rooms, 12,000 square feet of meeting space and a 3,000-square-foot WestinWorkout fitness studio. There will also be THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen NYC, the first bar and food concept from Gerber Group in the Westin property. The Westin New York Grand Central is located blocks away from both Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations.

WEEKAPAUG, R.I. — New England Construction has completed the $20 million restoration of The Weekapaug Inn in Weekapaug. The company upgraded many of the property's features, while preserving the character of the original structure. The inn now features a private waste treatment facility, a new, three-lane pool and a newly constructed beach house that includes showers, changing areas and a restaurant. The original Weekapaug Inn was constructed in 1899, but was decimated by a hurricane in 1938. The following year, the Buffum family rebuilt the cabin in a new location. Weekapaug Inn & Cottages LLC purchased the property from the Buffum family in 2010.