BRUNSWICK
A splash of innovative upgrades with an emphasis on preservation will grace the
Captain Daniel Stone Inn after its purchase by a Boston-based hotel consortium.
Already a highly-rated inn overlooking the Androscoggin River, the hotel and Number 10 Water Street restaurant will get $1 million in upgrades and will be renamed as part of the Sept. 30 sale to Boston East India Hotels.
Boston East India Hotels is renaming the inn to comport with its collection of “boutique” Troca Hotels.
Troca is Portuguese for “voyage and transformation”; company officials say their distinctive properties — and their titles — suggest a “passage to a new adventure.”
“When you look around, you see it’s virtually spotless,” interim General Manager Brian Sette said. “We’ve got a great space to work with.”
On a recent tour of the establishment, Sette emphasized the value of preserving the integrity of what’s already here.
The imposing, full-service 30-room hotel is housed in a stately, 1800s-era building that underwent a $2.5 million facelift as recently as 2011.
Sette said the company plans to keep all current 30 employees and will expand employment opportunities “soon,” though he declined to provide specifics.
The property is marked by a mix of nautical antiquity and modern affluence. High ceilings are balanced by muted, natural colors lending warmth throughout the roomy space.
Weekend brunch — served from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. — is already a favorite at the inn and will be continued. A brand-new fall/winter menu was launched at the restaurant this week, along with an innovative new wine list.
“It’s just a matter of working out the kinks and getting into a rhythm,” said Sette, promising to maintain the elegance, to add a few surprises, and unveil new services in multi-tiered media announcements.
“We’ll continue (and later expand) the inn’s popular happy hour,” which features 29-cent wings, generous glasses of house wine for $3.50, and other pub specials on weekdays between 4- 7p.m.
Live music Thursday nights — jazz and blues — will be added to the current Friday and Saturday night entertainment lineup.
At some point, “we’ll also add music to the brunch,” Sette adds, “but we’re not turning it into a club.”
The company’s greatest emphasis is on increasing events. Corporate dinners and private parties are central to their business plan.
The two existing formidable conference rooms are about to get a facelift, starting with new lighting and audio/visual upgrades. The ballroom sways visitors with breathtaking beams that originate from Captain Daniel Stone’s home.
“It’s an all-around great place for a wedding or event,” Sette said.
Of the guest rooms, Sette said, “We definitely have some ideas about tweaking guest rooms, while maintaining character. But the four rooms and two suites in the federal house will be the jewels.”
A high-end spa had been planned, set up and nearly finished during the previous renovation, but was never put to use.
“We decided to use that space more effectively,” Sette said. Marble fireplaces, original woodwork and large soaking tubs just wait for new life to be breathed into them.
Most of the art is commissioned by Peter Alpers Fine Art in Andover, Mass., featuring scenes from Maine and New England.
Boston East India Hotels operates two hotels — The Sofala, a “lifestyle hotel” in Goa, India; and the Captain Daniel Stone Inn — and has five new projects offering upscale lodging it plans to open in 2014, including a full-service, upscale hotel in North Goa, India and a “mid-scale hotel” in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
The company describes itself as a “hotel investment, development and management company” and is pursuing hotel development in “gateway cities” such as Mumbai and Kolkata, India; Boston and New York.
Headquartered in Boston, it “focuses its development and management activities on strategic markets and gateway cities globally that have strong fundamentals but are often underserved by quality lifestyle and midscale assets,” according to its website.
Room rates in Brunswick range from $140 a night and up, as quoted at Priceline.com and various other online travel sites.
Sette said he doesn’t plan to change the rates immediately: “We aren’t saying that we will raise rates across the board just because we are renovating.”
Why Brunswick for the hotel chain’s latest acquisition?
“It was selected for a number of reasons including its proximity to Bowdoin College, Portland and Greater Boston,” Sette said. “It’s a fantastic seasonal tourism region (replete with) local economic redevelopment opportunities.
“We’re excited about creating a special place in the community where interesting people have an exciting place to gather, as well as welcoming our guests and creating curated experiences, having the guest leave feeling like they’ve really had a sense of Mid-coast Maine.”
Speculation surrounds the hotel’s new name, which has been promised to maintain an historical element. All Troca Hotels are identified by their geographic coordinates.
“We are excited to find out about the new name,” Sette said. “Stay tuned.”
PAT FRIEDMAN is a Times Record correspondent based in Brunswick.
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