Several hotels in Newport have recently undergone, or are still going through, significant renovations. But the $30 million project at the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel & Spa, the hotel’s management says, is the most significant the city has experienced in a decade.
“It’s a property transformation,” said Bill Clarke, director of sales and marketing for the hotel. “We’re moving the main entrance and lobby area, constructing a new lobby bar, a new parking garage. … I think the impact will be the fact that we’re bringing higher-end business into town.”
The decision to move the entrance and lobby was driven by the desire to create a “spectacular sense of arrival that captures the water views as guests are arriving,” Clarke said. Currently the lobby has no water views, though the hotel sits on Goat Island.
Also, the new lobby will feature individual check-in kiosks as opposed to the traditional front desk. Two of the kiosks will be staffed and one will be automated for guests who want to get in quickly and don’t need to make changes to their accommodations.
By adopting the kiosks, the Hyatt is “following the design of newer upscale hotels,” Clarke said. The new contemporary lobby bar, which will replace Auld Mug Pub Lounge, also speaks to the hotel’s desire to compete with design in newer upscale hotels. And it will include an expansive deck outside to, again, take advantage of the water views.
“I think anytime a project like this happens, it positions [the hotel] to increase their visibility,” said Evan Smith, president of the Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I think because of the renovation, they are going to be able to attract a larger, broader range of corporations and groups.”
And that has a trickle-down effect on the local economy, he added.
The renovation also will be useful for selling Newport to potential visitors, said Tim Walsh, vice president of sales for the NCCVB.
“One of the questions we’re always asked is: ‘What’s new?’ ” he said. “When people call … [the renovation will be] a new tool for us to market the destination.”
In addition to the lobby and entrance improvements and the addition of a two-story 145-space parking garage for a more convenient parking experience, the Hyatt will have 257 remodeled guest rooms featuring a modern décor, 32-inch flat panel televisions and iPod docking stations.
The total number of rooms will decrease by seven, Clarke said, because the renovation includes the creation of a new presidential suite and bridal suite. The hotel currently has 264 rooms.
The Hyatt wanted to add a bridal suite on the ground floor between the Stillwater Spa and the Rose Island Ballroom so that bridal parties could have a place to get ready for weddings that take place in the ballroom and outside, Clarke said.
“It makes for much better flow,” he added. “We see tremendous demand for that type of suite.”
An increasing number of VIP functions, board of directors meetings and special occasion vacations, such as anniversaries, are driving the demand for a presidential suite, Clarke said. Though the hotel has two large suites with upscale amenities, there is no one definitive presidential suite. The new one will encompass the equivalent of four standard guest rooms on the top floor of the nine-story hotel.
The hotel is utilizing local talent such as DiLeonardo International Inc., a design firm based in Warwick, for interior design, and all of the exterior work has been awarded to Stonestreet Construction, based in Providence.
Clarke said that decision was made because “we want to be good neighbors. We realize we’re a major contributor to the local economy.”
Smith anticipates the $30 million renovation will raise the bar of competition for all of the hotels in Rhode Island.
“Hyatt is stepping up to the plate,” he added. “And I think that’s good for destination Newport.” •
