A Westport-based company is planning to build a 90-room Marriott hotel on Route 28 in Wareham, a stretch of road better known as Cranberry Highway.
The hotel will be built on land owned by A.D. Makepeace Co., the Wareham company that has been shifting from its traditional business of growing cranberries to developing its vast real estate holdings.
The company bills itself as the world’s largest cranberry grower, as well as the largest private property owner in the state.
The proposed TownePlace Suites by Marriott would be located at Rosebook Place, A.D. Makepeace’s new mixed-use development at the intersection of Interstates 495 and 195.
It would feature one- and two-bedroom suites with full kitchens, an indoor pool, service bar, breakfast restaurant, and exercise room. An adjoining 300-seat function facility would offer views overlooking one of the company’s cranberry bogs.
The hotel would be operated by Lafrance Hospitality Co., a Westport company that owns several hotels and function facilities around New England.
Lafrance is seeking a tax break from the town of Wareham for the project, which is expected to create up to 40 construction jobs and 50 permanent positions once the hotel is up and running.
Michael P. Hogan, president and chief executive of the A.D. Makepeace Co., said Lafrance’s proposed hotel would be a “true asset to the region’s tourism industry” that would attract other businesses to the area.
“We’re very excited about it,” Hogan said in an interview. “Having the Marriott brand and a strong regional operator is a home run for the development and the town.”
Wareham has no full-service hotels, Hogan said. “There’s a demand and need for rooms and function space.”
In addition to jobs, he said, the new hotel would also provide substantial tax revenue to the town, including the optional local hotel room and sales tax.
Lafrance aims to have financing finalized by spring. Hogan said the company is negotiating with the town and hopes to have a tax increment financing agreement ready by early March for Wareham selectmen to review.
The tax increment financing agreement is necessary for Lafrance “so they can have the ability to ramp up,” Hogan said.
“People don’t make reservations for a hotel that’s under construction.”
Lafrance owns several hotels and restaurants in Southeastern Massachusetts, including Hampton Inn & Suites of Plymouth, as well as hotels in New Hampshire and Maine. The company wants to open the Marriott hotel in Wareham by late summer 2014.
In addition to the hotel, A.D. Makepeace plans to bring restaurants, retail shops, and apartments to Rosebrook Place.
Hogan said that two more office buildings are planned at the site, the first of which will be 54,000 square feet and is designed to house businesses that specialize in technology, health care, and higher education.