PROVIDENCE – The Beatrice, a boutique hotel with 47 rooms, will open in late summer, its owner announced Wednesday. The hotel at 90 Westminster St. is a complete renovation of the Exchange Bank Building, built in 1887.
The five-story building faces both Westminster and Kennedy Plaza and is the only pre-1900 building remaining on that block downtown. It adjoins 100 Westminster, one of the skyline buildings in Downtown Providence.
The hotel will feature the Bellini Restaurant and Rooftop Lounge on opening, according to a news release. The restaurant is run by Ignazio Cipriano, who said in a release that his restaurant in Providence would feature fresh, upscale and modern Italian dining. The restaurant is named for his great-grandfather, who created the Bellini cocktail in Venice. The restaurant will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The hotel will have rooftop dining at the Bellini Club, a private, members-only experience also open to hotel guests, according to the news release.
The Beatrice is named for the late mother of Joseph R. Paolino Jr., the developer and managing partner of Paolino Properties. Paolino is also a former mayor of Providence.
He announced Wednesday the appointment of Jennifer Curtin as General Manager of the Beatrice.
The hotel and restaurant spaces were designed by ZDS Architecture & Interiors, of Providence.
More information is on the hotel website at TheBeatrice.com.
The property received state approved tax increment financing from the R.I. Commerce Corp. to facilitate the redevelopment of the former bank building. The mechanism allows a project to forego paying sales and hotel taxes to facilitate the development. R.I. Commerce authorized up to $4.25 million in foregone state taxes to assist in the redevelopment, estimated in 2019 at $19 million.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
