The Hotel Callista in downtown Norwich is finally open: why did it take so long?

One of Norwich’s goals for downtown is to have businesses at all its gateways. On Thursday, it got one step closer to that goal.

Hotel Callista, located in the former Elks Lodge on Main Street, had a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Norwich Community Development Corporation and the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce. It was expecting its first guests Friday. The 24-room boutique hotel, with rooms costing $150 to $500 a night, also has a common area and a ballroom.

Hotel Callista’s opening is the first step of developing all the way down Main Street, Kevin Brown, NCDC president, said.

“Not only is it a crossroads to the downtown, but it’s also a crossroads because there’s a high volume of traffic to and from work, and to and from the two casinos just down the road,” he said.

'Nothing’s going to bring me down'

Getting the Hotel Callista open was a four-year journey for owner Amit Patel. When the property came to Patel’s attention, he wasn’t intending to open a hotel in the area. He was drawn to the city because it’s a tight community with good support for businesses, especially with NCDC and the city government, Patel said.

“I’ve been to Scranton PA and New Jersey; this is really different and that’s what makes it work,” Patel said.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on all businesses, but Hotel Callista faced stricter building code requirements because it’s a place where people will be sleeping. The project had stalled a couple times, including times when building codes changed, and need fixes to the elevator, Norwich Building Official Dan Coley said.

“(Patel) had huge hurdles to overcome to get to the point where he could open up today, and he did it fairly smoothly,” he said. “It was not what we expected.”

Patel kept going because he had to, he said.

“I can do it,” Patel said. “That’s how I look at everything. Nothing’s going to bring me down.”

Hotel Callista serves a customer that doesn’t want typical hotel rooms. The room layouts are different, and the historic quality of the building adds to the experience, Patel said.

Elks and more: Hotel Callista’s storied past

The property was constructed in 1843 as a private home belonging to John Fox Slater, owner of a cotton mill in Jewett City and a noted philanthropist. In addition, Slater Memorial Museum at the Norwich Free Academy is named after him.

In the early 1900s the building was used for the Norwich Elks Lodge. The club sold its headquarters in 2003 for $505,000. Developer Janny Lam acquired the property in 2006 for $695,000. She opened the Majestic Rose Café and Karaoke. A Japanese restaurant followed it, but both businesses closed shortly afterward.

The city foreclosed on the property and sold it at auction in 2011 to Sunford Properties and Development LLC. In 2016, the city foreclosed again. It was bought by Patel’s father’s company, Ganesha Hospitality, LLC, in May 2019.

What’s next?

Patel is looking forward to when the YMCA building across the street is remodeled, as not much is going on at night in that part of downtown. He hopes the Hotel Callista can encourage more business in the area.

“You need one little hotel, and then you need bars and restaurants surrounding it,” he said.

Brown is glad to see Patel’s courage in putting a boutique hotel with its price point in Norwich, saying “somebody has to take the first step.”

“While some might suspect Norwich isn’t ready for that, if we keep telling ourselves we’re not ready, we’ll never do anything,” he said.

Patel wants to keep moving forward, saying the hotel’s bar, which might only be open for events, and kitchen should open this year. It’s also important to have “something stable” for his family in the future.

“Maybe I could pass it (on), we’ll see,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Former Norwich mansion and Elks Lodge now Hotel Callista