A new contemporary hotel, Six South Street Hotel, will open in Hanover in February, according to Don Bruce, general manager of the hotel. As a new fixture on South Street, which is in walking distance from the Green, the new hotel will be "an uptown hotel in downtown Hanover," Bruce said.
The hotel is slated to begin operations on Feb. 10 and will host several visiting speakers who will give lectures as part of the Baker-Berry Library Winter Carnival programming. The weekend will serve as a training session for hotel employees before Six South Street opens its doors to the general public on Feb. 21.
Bruce said Six South Street's contemporary design will set it apart from other nearby hotels.
"There's a fun, open lobby area with dynamic colors oranges and reds and lots of glass and chrome and granite," Bruce said. "It's not your Hanover Inn, which is more traditional and historic it's totally opposite."
Six South Street will feature a restaurant and lounge, called Bistro Six, that will serve breakfast and dinner every day, except Sunday, when it will not be open for dinner.
"We hope people will come in after a show at the [Hopkins Center for the Arts] or a movie at the Nugget to come on down and enjoy a dessert or beverage," Bruce said.
Despite its proximity to the Hanover Inn, the new hotel will not negatively effect the Inn's business, Tom List, general manager of the Hanover Inn, said. Between travelers on vacation and the numerous visitors who come to the College and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, there will be enough business to sustain the operations of both hotels, according to List.
Alumni will largely continue to stay at the Inn because it has a certain sentimental appeal, List said. The Inn's upcoming renovation, which will change the location of the restaurant and meeting room and add 12 new rooms, will also draw guests and enhance the experience of both banquet and leisure visitors, according to List.
"Six South Street will complement what the [Inn] does, similar to what the restaurants in town do," he said. "Hanover is a more interesting destination for non-College business because it has multiple restaurants that offer variety, and I think having two hotels in the downtown Hanover area will provide some great variety for travelers."
Since the hotel owned by the Maine Course Hospitality Group is independent from larger hotel chains, it will be able to better serve its customers, according to Bruce. Maine Course Hospitality Group operates hotels and restaurants throughout New England, according to its website.
"We're not affiliated with any Hiltons or Marriotts, which we feel gives us a lot more flexibility," he said. "We're not restricted by any standards at all."
Construction began on Six South Street last October, when the concept for such a hotel was sold to Maine Course Hospitality Group by Olympia Hotel Management, according to Bruce. Six South Street has already sold out for the Class of 2011's graduation weekend and the Sophomore Family Weekend in April, according to Bruce. The hotel which features 69 guestrooms is nearly sold out for Homecoming weekend 2011, according to Bruce.
Six South Street will also offer a fitness center and valet parking, according to Bruce.
Local businesses see the new hotel as a positive addition to Hanover, according to managers and owners interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"I'm looking forward to having the new hotel open up," said John Chapin, owner of the Canoe Club. "I'm one of those who believes that there's not a finite pie of customers out there. Hopefully having competition will stir all of us to greater heights, so I think [Six South Street will] have a quite positive effect on the retail scene in Hanover. I've heard early evidence from them that they plan to be involved in the community, not just there in isolation."
M. Kaufman, manager of the Nugget Theater, said he is unsure how the new hotel will affect his business.
"Having more people in town means there's a chance I can sell more tickets, I definitely think there's a benefit to that," he said.
Although Bruce said the hotel is not currently planning to offer any special deals to Dartmouth families, students interviewed said the hotel will be a positive addition to Hanover's current offerings.
"I was excited when I heard that they were building a new hotel in Hanover," Grace Russo '14 said. "The Hanover Inn books so fast, so it was always stressful when my family would try to plan a weekend visit."
Six South Street has been advertised in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, local Hanover magazines and Chamber of Commerce publications, according to Bruce. The hotel also has its own Facebook page, as the management tried to use more personalized attempts to inform locals about the hotel, Bruce said.
"We've been out in the community since June handing out business cards and brochures and knocking on doors, talking to people about our project," Bruce said.
Representatives from the Maine Course Hospitality Group, Olympia Hotel Management and the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment by presstime.
