Courtesy / Leonardo R. Merlos
The interior includes handcrafted millwork and wide-plank floors. This rendering depicts the lobby.
November 16, 2022
Boutique hotel to open next summer in Portland’s West End
Courtesy / Leonardo R. Merlos
Seen in a rendering is the five-story Longfellow Hotel, at 754 Congress St. in Portland, expected to open next summer.
A wellness-themed boutique hotel that’s under construction in Portland’s West End neighborhood is expected to open next summer with 48 guest rooms, a spa, cafe, bar and gym.
The interior of the five-story Longfellow Hotel, at 754 Congress St., was designed by Post Co., of Brooklyn, N.Y., as its first design project in Maine.
The developer is Portland-based Uncommon Hospitality, which was founded by brothers Nate DeLois and Tony DeLois.
“We love that more people have been discovering Maine, and we wanted to provide a beautifully designed, wellness-focused hotel to serve as the ultimate home base for those exploring the area,” said Nate DeLois, Uncommon’s co-founder and CFO.
The upscale hotel replaces a former gas station and convenience store. Sited on a quarter-acre parcel at Congress and Neal streets, the hotel faces the Francis, a 15-room inn at 747 Congress St. that Uncommon developed in 2017.
The property is named for Portland-born poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The project is designed to build on Portland’s hospitality offerings, said Tony DeLois, Uncommon’s co-founder and COO.
The development team also includes Portland architect David Lloyd and his team at Archetype Architects and New Gloucester civil engineering firm Terradyn Consultants.
The project manager is AlliedCook Construction of Scarborough.
Features include food and beverages from Portland purveyors, 24-hour concierge services, valet parking and room service. The design incorporates handcrafted woodwork by local millworkers, French balconies or bay windows, wide-plank hardwood floors and mosaic tile flooring.
A café and bar will be operated by Siobhán & Mike Sindoni, owners of the Wayside Tavern at the Francis Hotel. A Nordic-inspired wellness spa called the Asteria will be a 1,800-square-foot space comprising two massage treatment rooms, two infrared sauna experience rooms with halo therapy and a meditation room with sleep loungers that integrate sound wave therapy and zero-gravity positioning. A street-level spa reception will sell retail items by Maine producers, with a portion of proceeds donated to Brunswick food security nonprofit Full Plates Full Potential.
Uncommon Hospitality is a hotel operations and development company that has experienced significant growth in gross sales and net operating income since its founding in 2015, according to its website. Its properties include the Francis, formerly an abandoned single-family mansion built in 1881. The restoration turned the house into a 12,000-square-foot hotel and spa with an on-site restaurant.
Other hospitality projects have included the Admiral's Inn in Ogunquit, purchased in 2014 with subsequent grounds renovation; and the Colonial Inn in Ogunquit, purchased in 2012 by Joe DeLois and his partners and followed by renovations.
It also developed Bramhall Row, seven townhomes constructed behind the Francis, including two converted carriage houses, at 749 Congress St.
At 747 Congress St., Uncommon and a group of area business leaders and residents undertook the restoration of the Hay & Peabody Clock, named in 2017 by Greater Portland Landmarks as one of its "places in peril."
Founded in 2012, Post Co. works across hospitality, retail and residential projects. Its team includes architects, interior designers, carpenters, art directors and graphic designers.
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