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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 M AY 3 , 2 0 2 1 H O S P I TA L I T Y / T O U R I S M Harrington, who also has investments elsewhere in Maine, views the seaside town, replete with historic sea captain homes and maritime ambience, as a ter- rific market for a growing customer base. "It's one of the most sought-after destinations in New England," he says. On the radar Kennebunkport has always been an attraction, with its boating scene, a lively downtown, restaurants, inns and resorts. But a new vigor has come to its shores. "It's become much more vibrant over the years," he says. "ere's just a lot going on." e town is perhaps best known for the Bush family's retreat at Walker's Point, two miles from downtown Kennebunkport. "Kennebunkport first came onto the bigger tourist map with the Bushes," says Werner Gilliam, the town's direc- tor of planning and development. "e advent of the internet really changed how well businesses could market them- selves to a larger clientele. Before that, unless you were following the Bushes, Kennebunkport wasn't necessarily on your radar as the destination it is now." But increasing numbers of visitors have discovered local beaches; marinas as well as whale watches and tall ship tours; fine dining but also lobster shacks; a range of public and private golf courses and of course shopping. Downtown shops include chains like Sea Bags and Ben & Jerry's, but also gift shops, gal- leries, jewelry stores, clothing boutiques and a fudge shop. "e market has grown exponen- tially every year that I've been here, and this past year more than ever," says Jean Ginn Marvin, owner of Nonantum Resort and a mainstay on the scene since 1994. Harrington's business partner Lennon says Kennebunkport has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. She and her husband bought the Kennebunkport Inn in 2001, after she worked in management and opera- tions with Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. She later sold the inn to Harrington and partnered with him to develop the Kennebunkport Resort Collection. She recalls the visitor season used to shut down around Labor Day. But a growing suite of amenities and events — everything from maritime activities to new shops, galleries and festivals — have expanded opportunities to promote the town as a whole and have lengthened the season. Events like the Christmas Prelude in the first two weeks of December and Paint the Town Red around Valentine's Day bring big bursts of visitation at times of the year that are normally slow. Summer festivals have also grown. "What's great about Kennebunkport is you have a lot of hoteliers and inn- keepers working together to expand the season," Lennon says. "You could see that, if we join together and cre- ated interesting dining and experi- ences, then we're competitive with other destinations." Captain homes Another hotelier, Rob Blood, is build- ing on that cachet with the renova- tion and rebranding of four historic inns as the Kennebunkport Captains Collection. Renovations of a fifth inn, the Maine Stay, are also underway. Blood is the president of Newburyport, Mass.-based Lark Hotels, which has inns in six states. Elsewhere in Maine, in addition to the Kennebunkport proper- ties, it owns the Whitehall in Camden and Blind Tiger in Portland. It's one of the most sought-after destinations in New England. — Tim Harrington Kennebunkport hotelier Strong reservations A necdotally, 2021 hotel res- ervations are trending high, reports Kennebunk-Kennebunkport- Arundel Chamber of Commerce's Laura Dolce. Some hotels are trend- ing higher than 2019, which was already a strong year. "We're expecting huge increases at the campgrounds," she adds. Many restaurants are also report- ing good numbers this spring. "We're anticipating that to con- tinue," she says. "A lot of eateries have told us they are 10-20% over their 2019 numbers." Last year saw heavy tourism num- bers from New York and New Jersey. "We think that will continue this year," she says. "We expect to see a shift with more of those folks returning, now that they've seen the Kennebunks and made connections here." P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Rob Blood, president of Lark Hotels, in the stairwell of the Nathaniel Lord Mansion in Kennebunkport. He recently reopened four historic inns as a single "boutique village resort" called the Kennebunkport Captains Collection. F O C U S C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E »

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