Opening day has finally arrived for the new Marriott hotel in Wareham.

The 85-suite TownePlace Suites by Marriott at 50 Rosebrook Place opened its doors to business on Friday, April 3, after 16 months of construction.

"It's been a lot of work leading up to getting a hotel open," said Tim Burkhardt, vice president of hotel operations with LaFrance Hospitality Company, the owner and operator of the hotel. "Getting across the finish line feels good for everybody involved,"

"It seemed like it took a long time to get here," said Randy King, the hotel's general manager. "We look forward to being an active partner with the town of Wareham."

In that regard, the hotel is off to a good start, as King said a significant majority of the staff is made up of Wareham residents. The staff has been on-site for a few weeks for training as well the final cleaning and cosmetic preparation before opening.

The first guest at the new Marriott was Susan Fredricks from Long Island, New York, who arrived on Friday around 4 p.m. According to the Marriott staff, Fredricks has children who live in the area and has been following the construction progress of the hotel online. She received a gift basket from the employees as the first to visit the Marriott in Wareham.

Tim said while there are some guests arriving this weekend, it takes time for a new hotel to "ramp up." He expects it will take a month or so for the hotel to sell out. He said there is a group doing a project at a nearby business that is in talks of taking up 30 rooms a night for a month-long stay.

The hotel features 85 suites and amenities such as an indoor swimming pool, a 24-hour exercise room, continental breakfast every morning, complimentary wireless Internet throughout the hotel and on-site business services, including meeting rooms, copying, faxing and printing.

The lobby features a floor-to-ceiling "TowneMap" that helps guests settle into the local area by featuring great places to eat, popular night spots, recreation areas, shopping and other services such as dry cleaners and local car wash outlets.

The hotel also features the adjoining Rosebrook Event Center, a 4,500 square foot function facility with capacity to accommodate up to 400 people for weddings, corporate events, meetings, social parties, and more.

"This will be a real benefit for the town of Wareham, which currently has no full-service hotel facilities and few accommodations for functions," said Michael P. Hogan, president and CEO of the A.D. Makepeace Company. "I believe this will be a true asset to the region's tourism industry as well as an attraction for other businesses."