Millennium To Open SF Project, Battery Park Property Still Stalled

NEW YORK— Millennium Partners’ latest project, the Four Seasons San Francisco, is set to open on Wednesday, October 3 in the midst of a travel crisis that has left the company’s Lower Manhattan project stalled in its tracks. The new $400 million San Francisco Four Seasons marks the brand’s return to the market where it previously managed the Clift Hotel from 1976 to 1994. Located in the up-and-coming South of Market district, the 37-floor building will house retail shops on the first two floors, a health club and spa on the third and fourth floors, and the hotel lobby and 15,000 square feet of meeting space on the fifth floor. Floors six through 17 will house guestrooms, while the remaining 20 floors will offer high-end condominiums. But the hotel may not fare as well as originally expected. A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that managers at the new San Francisco property, which before the Sept. 11 attacks were expecting to quickly sell out all their rooms, are now anticipating only 15 of the hotels 270 rooms will get booked opening night. But Millennium has felt the effect of Sept. 11 to a much greater degree at its Lower Mahattan property, which was slated to open October 9. The new Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park project has been delayed since the terrorist attacks that brought down the nearby World Trade Center and closed off much of the hotel’s surrounding neighborhood. Matthew Hall, director/corporate communications for Millennium, stated that the 298-room Ritz-Carlton project suffered no structural damage but that its grand opening was postponed because hotel workers were denied access to the building for two weeks. “Usually the last four weeks before a project opens is when people are working 24-hours a day to get everything ready,” said Hall, who added that due to the crisis in New York City, Millennium is still trying to complete all of the last minute tasks needed for its Battery Park project. Hall said the building is currently accessible and that the company is working to re-establish an opening date. In addition, despite the delay, Millennium has reported that no residents have cancelled plans to move into the new, high-end condominiums. “Everyone’s just been asking when they can move in,” he said. “We hope the project can assist in helping the neighborhood get back on its feet.”