On-site construction of the AC Hotel New York NoMad will begin this fall with an opening planned for late 2020. The 168-room, 26-story hotel will be erected over 90 days and, once fully built, will stand 360 feet tall. According to Marriott International, it will be the world’s largest modular hotel.
Fully outfitted guestrooms will arrive at the construction site with bed, sheets, pillows, flooring and toiletries already inside. Marriott plans to use modular construction for the hotel’s roof and rooftop bar as well. Its more customized public areas, including the restaurant and lobby, are expected to be built using traditional methods.
“We wanted to demonstrate that modular building can do more than just harness the efficiencies of the factory,” Danny Forster, president and founder of Danny Forster & Architecture, the firm that designed the project, said in a statement. “It can produce a graceful and iconic tower. And yes, it can do so at the rate of an entire floor a day.”
Marriott said it began researching modular construction in 2014. In 2015 it began hosting town halls, factory tours and stacking events to educate owners, franchisees, architects, lenders, consultants, general contractors and other stakeholders on the benefits of modular construction. Since the initiative’s launch, its development partners have opened 31 Marriott-brand hotels using prefabricated guestrooms and/or bathrooms.
“The world’s tallest modular hotel in one of the world’s greatest destinations will act as a game-changing symbol to ignite even greater interest in modular among the real estate and lending industries,” Eric Jacobs, chief development officer, North America, select and extended stay brands at Marriott, said in a statement.