How The Colony is reinventing itself with a new hotel building and a year-round market

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — John Martin, a managing partner of The Colony on Ocean Avenue, stood on the hotel’s north campus on Monday, Aug. 7, and regarded the blend of the historic and the contemporary on either side of him.

In the distance, The Colony provided the history, standing tall with its cupola at its greatest height serving as a beacon for travelers as they approach the hotel.

Mere yards away, a new, three-part lodging structure, complete with connecting sky bridges, looked just about complete from the outside, with some busy construction work happening inside. This new site, which will offer more than 40 rooms, is expected to be completed this fall and ready for reservations when The Colony returns for its 2024 season next May.

Martin noted the symmetry of the two buildings – a key component of The Colony’s aesthetic nature, he said – but also noted the differing balance of the two places.

“That is the biggest challenge,” Martin said of the current construction. “How do you build a modern hotel with a nod to your history?”

Martin said the new building on the north campus is not intended to be a miniature version of The Colony but something new, yet in step with the overall campus. People should look at the new building and see that it is part of The Colony, but not The Colony itself.

“We can never try to overshadow it,” said Martin, who is the third generation in his family to be affiliated with the historic hotel.

The new building will offer a mixture of rooms including all the modern amenities – flat-screen TVs, air conditioning, backlit bathroom mirrors, an espresso machine – and balconies with views of the nearby cove. Some rooms will have two Queen beds, others a King bed, and so on, Martin said.

Guests will still check in at the lobby of the original hotel on the south campus, Martin noted, but the new building will have a common area at its center. The area will have a fireplace, some bookshelves, a patio, and some workstations and spots to relax, he added.

Wright-Ryan Construction is the builder for the project.

“They’re doing a great job,” Martin said. “Fun to work with.”

Market Square Architects, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, created the building designs, according to Martin.

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New hotel rooms available to book in 2024

According to Martin, the new rooms are expected to be cleared for occupancy this fall. Since the hotel closes for the season in late October, that means guests can make reservations for when spring comes around again next year.

Those 40-plus new rooms will join the six next door that were built last year, and became available to guests at the start of the current season. Those half-dozen rooms are on the upper floor of a new building that on its bottom level, has a brand new market that is open year-round to guests, tourists, and Kennebunkport residents alike.

According to Martin, five of the rooms are spacious and fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Four of the rooms are in the building currently under construction. One of them is available for reservations and is above the marketplace.

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Cove Side Market now open at The Colony

Last October, Martin stood inside the empty, expansive, newly finished marketplace and envisioned a grab-and-go spot where people could stop and pick up sandwiches, wines, cheeses, fruit, ice cream, coffee and more, as they are either on their way home or off to the beach. On Aug. 7, as Martin stood inside the marketplace, now called Cove Side Market, customers were there, doing those very things.

“Our focus is speed and convenience,” Martin said.

Breads, salads and more are prepared in the commissary at The Colony and brought to the market, according to Martin. Same goes for the baked goods – including the largest Rice Krispies bar you’re likely to ever see. The Colony also makes and sells its own ice cream sandwiches.

The space is large enough – and airy, given the large doors that line both sides – to hold events too, according to Martin.

Martin said the north campus is being constructed in a way that accommodates those with disabilities but blends in with the overall environment. For example, a paved pathway, leading from an upper lot down to the cove and marketplace, winds leisurely along the back lawn rather than in the tight zig-zag common to accessibility measures. It’s a pathway for all to enjoy, according to Martin.

Also complete on the hotel campus: a newly paved and reconstructed Colonial Avenue. Now lined with a sidewalk, the street is straighter and narrower than before, acting as a true, bisecting line between the hotel’s north and south campuses. As a result, motorists are traveling slower on the road, making it safer for all who like to walk or ride their bikes through – including residents in the adjacent neighborhood.

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The Colony has plans to transform south campus

With work on the north campus wrapping up this fall, Martin said attention soon will turn to the hotel’s long-standing south campus. Currently in the design phase are plans to renovate dormitory spaces on-site for hotel employees.

In a new development, Martin said the hotel is considering making a renovation of the pool and lounge area the first focus once the project starts on the south side.

The Boughton Hotel Corporation owns The Colony, which opened during the summer of 1948.

The property has a long, rich history in Kennebunkport. According to its website, The Colony was originally the site of the Ocean Bluff Hotel in 1872. Architect John Calvin Stevens designed the current hotel, which opened in 1914 as The Breakwater Court.

In 1935, the Boughton family bought The Colony Hotel in Delray Beach, Florida. Twelve years later, George Boughton bought The Breakwater Court here in Kennebunkport to complement the Florida hotel and create a north-south connection that was common to such historic properties. The Breakwater Court became The Colony Hotel and opened for business in 1948.

That’s the history of the south side of the place. To glimpse a major part of the hotel’s overall future, look to the north.

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: The Colony hotel expands with new rooms and year-round market