A new Residence Inn by Marriott adds 120 hotel rooms to an area in need of lodging

By Katie Johnston, Globe Staff

A Residence Inn by Marriott that opened in the Seaport District this week brings 120 new hotel rooms to an area in great need of lodging.

The property, at 370 Congress St., will be housed in a six-story 1900s building thought to be a former sugar and molasses warehouse.

The nearby Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is in need of more than 2,000 new hotel rooms within walking distance, according to the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, and if the center is allowed to double in size, as proposed, the area would need as many as 6,000 new rooms.

The authority just announced plans to develop a 1,200-1,500-room headquarters hotel across the street from the convention center.