PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The University City neighborhood is getting a new, extended-stay hotel, so visitors can be near loved ones at the nearby hospitals.

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Thursday in West Philadelphia.

The $50-million Homewood Suites hotel  at 41st and Walnuts Streets will  cater to patients, families, and others who need to be near the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The developer is David Adelman (right), the CEO of Campus Apartments.

“We’re thankful that this will really help make stays easier for people coming to visit sick family or those who are receiving long-term treatment,” Adelman said on Thursday.

The hotel will include 136 suites, each of which will be about 500 square feet with a full kitchen and separate work area.

It’s a “LEED” designed hotel that incorporates a green roof; on-site storm water management; high efficiency mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems; and low-flow fixtures.

It’s also the first commercial project for Philadelphia’s new “Energyworks” program that provides low-interest loans to help finance sustainable construction and redevelopment.

The hotel is scheduled to open in the spring of 2012.

Reported by Steve Tawa, KYW Newsradio 1060.