The Bronx follows other struggling urban areas, including Buffalo and Detroit, that have sought to revitalize with shiny, new hotels and convention centers, often with limited success over the long run. Still, local leaders have embraced the new hotels as a sign of their borough’s improving fortunes — one that they hope will generate jobs. There are now 14 lodgings in the Bronx — up from just 2 in 2006 — compared with 341 in Manhattan, 90 in Queens, 52 in Brooklyn, and 9 on Staten Island, according to NYC & Company, the city’s marketing and tourism arm. (One of those Bronx hotels, a Howard Johnson Express Inn, landed in the news last year when a tourist was followed there and raped by a man she encountered on the subway in Manhattan.)

Developers said they have started to give the Bronx another look because of its relatively low real estate prices, availability of large commercial sites, accessibility to subways, and rich cultural history, among other factors. Some hotels are hoping to draw tourists who cannot afford the hefty prices of Manhattan hotel rooms, while others are aiming for Yankees fans and people with a reason to be in the Bronx, like visiting local hospitals and colleges. Douglas Brookman, who is overseeing the project at the Bronx Opera House Hotel, said that celebrities like Harry Houdini, George Burns and the Marx Brothers once performed in the ornate building on East 149th Street. The hotel will open in April, with 300-square-foot rooms with soundproof walls and windows, custom furnishings, microwaves and small refrigerators. Room rates start around $130 a night.

Mr. Brookman said the hotel expected to hire at least 20 employees, giving preference to Bronx residents. “We really believe in the Bronx, we believe in where it’s going,” Mr. Brookman said. “We’re hoping we start the movement in this area.”