Construction kicks off on Mission Bay hotel

The soon to be bustling Mission Bay neighborhood is getting its first hotel that will open in the summer 2020.

Just blocks away from AT&T Park and the future site of the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center, the Marriott SOMA Mission Bay will be the first newly built hotel in The City in 10 years, according to city officials.

Mayor Mark Farrell, Supervisor Jane Kim and SOMA Hotel President Lawrence Lui broke ground at the future site of the hotel at Channel and Third streets on Thursday, which will boast 250 rooms, a restaurant, rooftop lounge that will be accessible to the public and conference space for meetings.

Farrell said:

“Mission Bay is transforming San Francisco. This is one of the most exciting neighborhoods that we’re literally seeing built from the ground up.”

After Giants and Warriors games, Farrell said he can envision some fans staying overnight in The City.

Lui said the construction of the hotel will create more than 1,000 construction jobs over the two-year construction period and 160 permanent jobs when the hotel opens for business:

“We have hired and will be hiring more local small business enterprises, minority and women-owned businesses, reflecting the diversity of The City.”

An additional $2 million of the hotel development will go towards public art, said Lui.

Once open, the hotel expects to generate $5 million annually in occupancy and tourism taxes for The City.

Supervisor Jane Kim, who represents the Mission Bay neighborhood, said what was once a neighborhood of warehouses is now becoming a vibrant community:

“We want to make sure that we have a vibrant neighborhood of residents and commercial activity and employers as well as our games. This is part of how we build a healthy and vibrant neighborhood throughout San Francisco.”

Right across the street from the future site of the hotel is Mission Rock Redevelopment Project which will transform Pier 48 into 21 acres of housing and commercial space.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.