Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 29, 2024 11 Associated Builders, Inc. Industrial and Commercial Renovations Commercial • Industrial • Auto • Healthcare ABuilders.com toward renovations, he said. In 2022, Soucy and Rice added a 2,800-square-foot building near the front of the parcel. It was going to offer public bathrooms and wash facilities for campers, as well as an 800-square-foot apartment. Soucy and Rice said they poured their hearts into upgrading the property, but didn't want to pass the maintenance burden to their children. So, they put it up for sale in 2022. Mark Riesbeck, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway New England, said Pomeroy Lodging representa- tives visited the quarry in summer 2022, then again that fall. It was under contract by November or December 2022, less than a year after it was listed. "The Pomeroys were the only ones who wanted to preserve the natural beauty of the land," Riesbeck said. "Their plan is built around incorpo- rating the quarry, leveraging every aspect. There wasn't a better buyer than them." Pomeroy Lodging hired Soucy and Rice as consultants, to help preserve the cut stone slabs that will be incor- porated into the day spa. First of many Pomeroy Lodging is a hospitality company with a diverse portfolio that includes hotels, resorts and Nordic spas, mostly located in Canada. Its brands range from the more upscale Pomeroy Inn & Suites and Pomeroy Hotel Conference Centre, to a Ramada, Holiday Inn Express and even a Motel 6. The company's history stretches back to 1941, when founder Ralph Pomeroy purchased a hotel in Fort St. John, British Columbia. Work will begin in May on the Nordic spa in Portland, which will offer a type of health therapy pioneered in Canada, where partic- ipants move through cycles of hot, cold and rest. The spa will be built around a 20,000-square-foot main bathhouse, and feature a 6,000-square-foot bistro restricted to spa customers. It will offer a waterfall, steam room, cold-plunge pools, saunas, fire pits, saltwater relaxation pools and more. These experiences will be spread across the property in stations and structures ranging from 250 square feet to about 700 square feet, all joined by heated pathways. "We love the environment," said Chris Puchalla, Pomeroy's execu- tive vice president of real estate. "Part of the Nordic-spa experience is unique experiences in unique envi- ronments, immersed in nature." Puchalla said the Portland devel- opment will cost in the "double-digit millions, and not the low double- digits." The company is self-funding the expansion, he said. Pomeroy built its first Nordic spa at its Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Canada, a hotel it purchased in 2014, then refurbished. It opened a second spa in 2022, at the Alyeska Resort, 40 miles outside Anchorage, Alaska. The Quarry View site in Portland was a "lucky find," a late addition to a 2022 site tour focused on the greater New York area, Puchalla said. Company representatives liked the site's natural beauty, as well as the quality shops and restaurants found in nearby downtown Middletown, he said. Puchalla said the Portland Nordic spa is scheduled to open in early fall 2025. It will be the first of Pomeroy's Nordic spa locations in the lower-48 United States. The company has acquired a Colorado site, he said, and is in "active pursuit and design" of 15 to 20 additional sites in seven states. The Portland spa will be a day-trip experience, drawing guests from diverse backgrounds. Prices will vary by time and day, generally ranging from $110 to $135, Puchalla said. Evening "twilight soaks" will be discounted up to 40%. "This is an experience that caters to anyone that wants to come in and have a hydrotherapy experience, and relax, and be with friends," Puchalla said. Pomeroy purchased the Portland site, shortly after the town approved the project. Puchalla said town officials were supportive, and the approval process was among the smoothest he's expe- rienced in his career. Town Planner Dan Bourret said officials see this as an economic development draw for Portland. "It's pretty cool, we are all really excited here in town," Bourret said. A rendering of Pomeroy Lodging's planned Nordic spa facility in Portland. RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED

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