Raffles hotel and condos in Back Bay to officially break ground

The developers behind the planned Raffles Hotel at 40 Trinity Place in Back Bay are hosting an official groundbreaking for the project on Thursday, September 26. Mayor Marty Walsh is expected to be the guest of honor at the invite-only event.

The Saunders Hotel Group and the Noannet Group (which just got the go-ahead for a major Hyde Park project) have been trying to build on the corner for years. They got the requisite permits for construction in 2016, and reached a deal with Raffles parent AccorHotels in late 2017. The developers announced the project in April 2018, and landed a $314 million construction loan in July.

The 147-room Raffles and a further 146 Raffles-branded condos will replace the current Boston Common Hotel and Conference Center. The hotel portion will be the first of its kind in North America, and is expected to thematically reflect Boston—as other Raffles hotels in places such as Paris, Singapore, and the Seychelles reflect their locales.

The under-construction building—the September 26 groundbreaking is a formality—is expected to stretch to 33 stories, and will also include restaurant and retail space as well as expansion space for the adjacent University Club.

The project—officially dubbed Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences—is scheduled to open in 2022. Stay tuned.