Empty Rooms Prompt Ritz-Carlton to Move Up $45-Mil Restoration

BOSTON-One of the city’s oldest and grandest hotels, the Ritz-Carlton Boston, will close its doors earlier than anticipated for renovations. The early facelift is yet another indication of how hard this area’s hospitality industry has been hit by the recent terror attacks and faltering economy.

The Ritz-Carlton was scheduled to close December 26 for a major overhaul, according to Caron Le Brun, area director of public relations for the Ritz Carlton Hotels of Boston. Instead, the hotel will close October 7. “We moved up the date in response to the current significant decline in the hospitality business and the slowdown in the economy,” she tells GlobeSt.com.