Harbor View closes as renovations resume

Posted November 1, 2007

The $77 million multi-year renovation of the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown will pick up again in earnest during the off-season. As a result, the hotel will close and all operations will move to the nearby Kelley House.

Scout Real Estate Capital, the Nantucket-based hotel and resort owner, said it has made a strong commitment to year-round Vineyard residents and Harbor View employees to maintain the hotel and restaurant services at the Kelley House and the Newes from America pub while renovations are on-going at the Harbor View. As a result no lay offs are expected.

"It will be all hands on deck getting ready for next season," said Alan Worden, Scout chief executive officer. "We'll be asking all year-round employees to pitch in and contribute in a variety of ways."

Mr. Worden said that several significant renovation projects are scheduled to begin in October and will be completed by late spring 2008.

"This winter, we will make another round of important betterments including an extensive upgrade of the hotel's restaurants and kitchen facilities and the renovation of additional Captains' Cottages," said Mr. Worden in a prepared statement.

"We are going to do all we can to complete the necessary kitchen upgrades this year so by the time all of our renovations are complete, we will never have to close our restaurants or hotels during the off-season again. I live on an island where a very limited number of restaurants are open during the winter, so I understand the critical role our dining options play in the lives of year-round Vineyarders," said Mr. Worden, a Nantucketer.

According to a press release, a 2007 market research study based in part on interviews with over 500 of Harbor View's past hotel guests indicated a strong preference for larger rooms and luxury suites. As a result, 21 small hotel rooms will be converted into 13 larger luxury suites, some with private gardens and outdoor showers.

Scout Real Estate Capital, LLC, of Nantucket and New York, N.Y., acquired the Harbor View Hotel & Resort and the Kelley House in December 2006. The company's focus is on developing unique leisure opportunities for sophisticated travelers, according to a profile.