Trenton moves to reclaim former Marriott hotel

The City of Trenton has taken a major step toward bringing the long-vacant former Marriott hotel back to life after City Council voted Tuesday night to authorize the City to pursue a $4 million New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Stranded Assets grant for the acquisition of the property at 1 West Lafayette Street.

The Council action clears the way for the City to move forward with the proposed $4 million acquisition, conditioned upon receipt of the NJEDA grant funding, and represents a significant milestone in the effort to return one of downtown Trenton’s most prominent vacant properties to productive use.

“This property has been sitting in the center of our downtown for far too long, but buying it back simply for the sake of buying it back was never the answer,” Mayor W. Reed Gusciora said. “We needed a viable financial path, State partnership, a redevelopment strategy and a Council willing to move that strategy forward. Those pieces have finally come together.”

City Council President Jenna Figueroa Kettenburg welcomed the opportunity to move the long-stalled property toward redevelopment.

“This is exactly the kind of progress we want to see in downtown Trenton,” Figueroa Kettenburg said. “I am excited about the opportunity to finally bring new life to a building that has sat vacant for far too long. Council looks forward to continuing to work together with the Administration to make this happen and to build on the momentum we are seeing throughout downtown.”

The former hotel has presented a challenge to Trenton for more than a decade.

That equation began to change when the City became eligible to pursue funding through NJEDA’s program addressing stranded and underutilized assets. In 2025, Trenton received initial approval for $4 million in State assistance toward acquisition of the former hotel.

Since then, the City has worked with the property owner and its partners at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) and NJEDA to address the financial, legal, and property issues necessary to move the transaction forward.

With Council’s authorization, the City can now move forward with the NJEDA grant process and toward completing the acquisition under the proposed purchase agreement. The agreement provides for a $4 million purchase price and makes the City’s obligation to close contingent upon the State grant funding.

City Council has previously designated Tetrabilt as redeveloper for the property. Following acquisition, the City anticipates entering into the necessary transfer and redevelopment agreements to move the property into private redevelopment.

The City’s goal is to return the building to use as a modern downtown hotel capable of serving State government, businesses, visitors, conventions and events while generating economic activity for surrounding restaurants, retailers and other downtown establishments.

“A functioning hotel does more than fill hotel rooms,” Gusciora concluded. “It brings people downtown. Those visitors eat in our restaurants, patronize our businesses, attend events and create demand for additional investment. Getting this building back into productive use can have a catalytic effect well beyond this one property.”