Two new hotels are being proposed for Deptford’s growing hotel district on Route 41 (Hurffville Rd). They are just starting the approval process and do not have a Deptford Planning Board meeting scheduled as of yet..
The two hotel brands looking to enter the Deptford marketplace are Home2 Suites (Hilton) and TownePlace Suites (Marriot). They are both targeting longer stay business travelers and would be owned by SSN Hotels out of Delaware.
The location for both planned hotels would be directly next to the existing Courtyard Hotel, and run with the bend of Rt 42.
If developed, there would be a total six 100+ room hotels in a half mile stretch of Route 41, in a main thriving commercial district of South Jersey.
Effectively there will be four hotels in a row along Route 42, and the other two are the original Deptford hotels next to the Uno’s restaurant.
The two proposed hotels would sit back off of Rt 41 and guests would drive down Harmony Lane to access the hotel properties. Today Harmony Lane is an underdeveloped and worn roadway, and as part of this project it will be rebuilt as a modern township road.
This Deptford area seems to have become popular for the larger hotels due to its close proximity to Philadelphia and ease of access along Route 42.
The location also puts guests in the middle of Deptford’s thriving shopping and restaurant district around the Deptford Mall, as well as the Township’s growing medical space.
Deptford Home2 Suites and TownePlace Suites
42Freeway has the site plans for the two proposed hotels, which provide many details of the two new hotels, but not all of them.
Both buildings will be 4 stories tall and feature over 100 guest rooms.
Home2 Suites would be developed next to the existing Courtyard Hotel, almost directly in line with the building. It is proposed to have 106 guest rooms.
The proposed Townplace Suites would be immediately south of Home2 Suites but positioned further back in the lot (following the curve of Route 42) and will feature 112 guest rooms.
The two buildings will be somewhat staggered from each other, alternating the buildings and main parking areas.
Both of these hotels appear to be catering to the same target audience; longer stay business travelers who are looking for more comforts and space than standard hotel rooms.
The brands each offer amenities such as separate sleeping and living quarters and in-room kitchens. Meeting rooms and fitness areas are also typically included, as well as breakfast. They also offer outdoor grilling areas for guests to use!
The same owner/operator has a TownPlace Suites location in Logan/Swedesboro and on TripAdvisor they have an impressive 4.5 Excellent rating.
But there are many details that aren’t clear to us at this time.
For example, in researching the brands I see that some locations feature indoor swimming pools and in a few rarer cases, a lounge/bar. It is not clear from the site plans if these are included in the Deptford projects.
Well I can clearly see that for both of the hotels there will not be an outdoor pool, but it’s unclear if there will be an indoor pool
Regarding having a bar… New Jersey liquor laws do allow for issuing a “hotel” liquor license when the newly constructed hotel offers more than 100 rooms.
As examples, the adjacent Courtyard Hotel has a small bar/lounge area, and the Uno’s restaurant in town was developed utilizing hotel licensing. But again, 42Freeway is not clear on if that is part of the plans in the two proposed Deptford Hotels.
Location Off of Route 41 / Hurffville Rd
The hotels will not be seen from Route 41. As mentioned, Harmony Lane will connect the new hotel property to Route 41.
New underground utilities will need to be run to supply the hotels (water, sewer, gas) and during the construction phase Harmony Lane will be full redeveloped with a new asphalt roadway and curbing.
There are currently two residential properties along Harmony Lane which sit on opposite sides of the roadway, positioned to the back of the front half deep properties off Rt 41. The homes would be closer to the hotels properties than to Rt 41, but there will be a parking lot buffer between them and the buildings.
It appears the homes are unchanged with this project, other than getting the benefit of a new roadway.
Two large wooded parcels sit directly at Route 41 on either side of Harmony Lane. They are currently being marketed for development by Equity Retail Brokers. I imagine if the hotels get developed these two undeveloped parcels at the front of Rt 41 would get a lot more attention from potential commercial tenants.
SSN Hotels – Deptford
Hotel operator SSN Hotels is based out of nearby Wilmington Delaware.
According to their Corporate Website they operate 21 hotels in the Mid-Atlantic region, with 10 of them in New Jersey.
They operate under a variety of hotel brand franchises including Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, Fairfield, TownePlace Suites and Home2 Suites.
Locally, in Swedesboro they operate Hampton Inn and TownePlace Suites hotels. In Voorhees they operate a Holiday Inn Express, and they have 3 hotels in Atlantic County.
They also have experience with Home2 Suites, operating a location in Newark NJ.
Links and Location
Home2 Suites and TownePlace Suites (proposed)
Harmony Lane
Deptford NJ, 08096