StayingOvernight inNewark

Hotel Indigo

Newark has welcomed visitors since the opening of its first hotel in 1670. Some time later, in 1916, the Robert Treat Hotel ( 50 Park Place; www.rthotel.com ) was built and became a popular attraction for guests of all backgrounds. Since then, the historic hotel, along with others, has brought businesses, tourists, and more theater-goers to Newark. The city is currently home to approximately 20 hotels.

The growing number of large businesses in Newark, such as Audible, New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Fabuwood Cabinetry Corp, Prudential, and others—not to mention the growing number of small businesses and startups—is making hotels a necessity when it comes to needing conference centers, or overnight stays for employees or business guests.

After the opening of the Prudential Center in 2007, the need for hotels to accommodate concert-goers, sports spectators, employees, guests, and tourists grew exponentially. Then, in 2012, the Courtyard by Marriott-Newark ( 858 Broad Street; www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ewrdt-courtyard-newark-downtown) opened up right next door.

The expansion of hotels beyond Newark Liberty International Airport has allowed business and leisure travelers to experience Newark’s rich culture in its entirety. According to Karin Aaron, CEO and president of the Greater Newark Convention & Visitors Bureau, Newark’s hospitality industry has seen a 4% increase in occupancy and a 3% increase in spending in the last 12 months.

by LaToya Harris and Aubri McKoy

The Robert Treat Hotel (50 Park Place; www.rthotel.com), which is located across from Military Park, continues to attract visitors and Newarkers alike. It contains 170 rooms on 15 floors, and its beautiful ballroom and banquet halls make it the choice for several different types of events, including weddings, social gatherings and concerts. Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and John F. Kennedy are a few of the famous guests who have stayed there.

Today, the Robert Treat Hotel is a landmark. Real estate developers Berger Organization purchased the hotel in 1986 and showed its commitment to Newark. The Berger Organization has led several Newark real estate projects in the years since.

Able to accommodate guests in 101 rooms, TRYP by Wyndham Newark Downtown (24 E. Park Street; www.trypnewark. com) was built intentionally in the heart of downtown Newark in the midst of the city’s arts and culture scene. Located only about a block away from the Robert Treat Hotel, TRYP by Wyndham opened April 23 of this year.

Some of the great accommodations the hotel offers include a shuttle service to Newark Liberty International Airport, making it easy to travel in and out of the city. Family rooms that feature bunk beds are another tempting feature for tourists, residents, and business people who want to travel with their children.

With attractive amenities like fitness centers, conference spaces, technology labs, and free Wi-Fi, Newark’s hotels supply the needs of nearly all travelers. Some hotels, such as Hotel Indigo (810 Broad Street; www.ihg.com/hotelindigo), offer additional services including printing, scanning, and faxing. Many also include restaurants and/ or banquet areas that serve great food and host recreational activities.

“Our hospitality industry tells the story of an interesting destination,” explains Aaron. “If there was no culture, if there were no attractions, nobody would come here. So when you add hotels, that’s even more of a reason to visit the city.”

The Sky is the Limit for the Hanini Group

Hotel Indigo Developer is Hands-on

by Rose Driscoll

SAMER HANINI IS NOT your average hotel developer. He answers his cell phone, and you may just pass him while casually walking down Broad Street near his latest hotel development, Hotel Indigo.

Samer Hanini and his brothers, Amer and Thafer, formed their real estate company, Hanini Group, in 2004 and bought their first building on Newark’s Washington Street that year. Since then, they’ve restored dad owned a deli. We come from a neighborhood family,” he explained.

Hanini’s parents also owned a small building in Jersey City and, as young men, the brothers did repairs for the tenants and took out the trash. So when they started buying buildings, they “knew a little about real estate,” Samer said, “but mostly the handyman stuff.” So why didn’t they become contractors instead of real estate developers? “We enjoyed more of the deal making side, trying to make something out of nothing. We liked the whole concept of creating value.” masterpieces—Hotel Indigo. A tall, slender, historical building on Broad Street, Hotel Indigo was originally built to be a residential building. But the city saw the need for a hotel close to Prudential Arena and Hanini Group was ready to take it on.

“Doing a historical restoration is a lot more challenging,” Hanini said. “But all the buildings we do have sat vacant for 30 or 40 years.”

The Haninis’ meticulous, hands-on approach has been key to the successful completion of similar projects in Passaic, NJ, and Brooklyn, NY. “Now we’re in the pro - and rehabbed more than $300 million worth of real estate, and built high caliber, loft-style, residential, retail, and corporate spaces, many in Newark’s downtown area.

Samer says his company’s success is due to its dedication to the community and “sweat equity”—personally putting in the work to move his projects forward. Whether it’s redrawing financial models 30 times in one night or creating architectural plans— and then executing them—Hanini never shies away from hard work.

The Hanini brothers grew up in Jersey City. Samer graduated from NJIT here in Newark and his brother, Thafer, graduated from Rutgers. “My mom is a teacher and my

The brothers bought their first building at an auction in Newark. “I don’t want to say it was dumb luck, but we weren’t that savvy back then,” Hanini revealed. They poured hours of their own labor into the building— and it paid off nicely. The high-quality work on that first building set the standard for what they could show to future investors. They used their investment capital to start buying and developing properties on Market Street.

“This whole process has been a learning experience,” Hanini said. “Every year we learn something new.”

The future looks promising for Hanini if his present work and success is any indication. Consider one of their most recent cess of putting more work into Newark,” he continued. “We’re currently focused on two projects: converting St. Michael’s Hospital into a mixed use building and converting the Maple Avenue School into apartments.”

Hanini recognizes that Newark is a great place to build. Many of their projects stem from public/private partnerships. But Hanini and his brothers know that the key to Newark’s longevity and prosperity is its residents.

“Newark has a tremendous amount of infrastructure—the airport, the building stock. But the people are an amazing asset, too,” Hanini said. “It’s the local residents that see Newark through the rough patches.” dN