From 'Bachelorette' to Hampton Beach hotel: Buyer plans to take over Mainsail

HAMPTON — The owners of the Mainsail Motel and Cottages are retiring, selling their historic beach hotel to a young Realtor who once appeared as a contestant on “The Bachelorette.”

Dave Hartnett and his wife Kara, who bought the Mainsail on the New Hampshire Seacoast 10 years ago, were scheduled to close the sale Sept. 14. The buyer is Christian Smith, who confirmed it on Friday. Smith is a 29-year-old Newburyport, Massachusetts-based Realtor who has sold more than $25 million in residential real estate and who competed for Katie Thurston’s love on season 17 of “The Bachelorette.”

The Hartnetts have made several improvements to the Mainsail since taking over its 40 hotel rooms and 19 cottages off Ashworth Avenue.

“My wife and I bought it and literally said to each other 10 years ago, we’d give it 10 years, see how it went,” Hartnett said. “It was a great 10 years.”

Smith said on Friday he is excited to take over the hotel built in 1940 pending if the deal is finalized. He works in luxury real estate, according to his profile online, and is touted by Keller Williams as “one of the best in the North Shore.”

“We’ve got big shoes to fill here,” Smith said. “I really hope to keep what they have going and enjoy what they’ve created.”

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Hartnetts invested millions in Mainsail makeover

The Hartnetts have deep ties to Hampton Beach. Kara Hartnett’s family, the Schaakes, have been on the beach for 140 years, according to Hartnett. While he grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hartnett said his family has had property in Hampton and Seabrook for years.

“Even though locals don’t consider me a local, I have been around,” Hartnett said.

Before buying the Mainsail, Hartnett described himself as a “lifetime serial entrepreneur.”

“I was actually the guy that introduced pay-air at gas stations in the early 1980s,” Hartnett said. He said he has also owned insurance companies, done consulting work, and owned storage facilities.

When the Hartnetts came across the Mainsail property, he said it was a good opportunity to make improvements.

“It was a great property that needed a little TLC,” Hartnett said.

Over the years, they removed all the rugs from the hotel rooms and cottages and installed new vinyl planking. They also replaced the appliances and mattresses and rebuilt the pool area.

“We’ve put millions of dollars into this property the last 10 years,” Hartnett said.

Hartnett said their children had no interest in running the business when they were ready to retire, so they put the Mainsail up for sale this year. They are now looking forward to spending most of their winter in Key West, Florida.

“I’ve invested in real estate since I was 20 years old,” Hartnett said. “I’m at a point where I want to enjoy it.”

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Christian Smith eager to invest in Hampton Beach

Despite being based in the North Shore of Massachusetts, Smith said he is no stranger to Hampton Beach.

“It’s like a Vegas of the North,” Smith said.

The Mainsail became available at the same time that Smith was already getting his feet wet in hospitality. In 2022 he opened the Hygge House Suites, a boutique inn in Newburyport, and he is also hoping to acquire the Inn at Rings Island later this year.

“Definitely some projects,” Smith said.

With all those projects going on, he said he has not given much thought to whether he’ll seek more television opportunities. He lasted a few episodes on “The Bachelorette” and caught viewers’ attention with his Boston accent, according to an interview in “Boston Magazine.” He said it was a chance he would have regretted not taking, and he made a lot of good friends through the show.

“I’m leaving the door open,” Smith said of television work. “I’m just going to let my life take me for my whole ride.”

Smith credited his parents with preparing him as a Realtor and entrepreneur. He called his mother, Elizabeth Smith, a “rock star Realtor” who taught him everything he knows. He also said he looked up to his father when it came to property management.

The chance to run hotels and inns in his home area was too good to pass up.

“It’s like a vacation,” he said. “What better to do than be involved in hospitality?”

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The Mainsail is one of the aged motels that has managed to stay active in an era where many are being knocked down and converted to condos. The Kentville on the Ocean and Sea Spiral are among the older hotels that have recently become residential units.

“We saved it from the wrecking ball of developers,” Hartnett said.

Smith said both hotels and condos are important for Hampton. Hotels like the Mainsail, he said, help keep the beach remain a tourist destination for years to come.

“Having these short-term stays, creating these experiences,” Smith said. “It creates a culture within itself at Hampton Beach.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach NH: 'Bachelorette' alum to buy Mainsail Motel