Courtesy / The Inn at English Meadows
Diane Pace
Updated: January 29, 2024
Buyer of Kennebunk B&B brings previous hospitality experience
Courtesy / The Inn at English Meadows
The Inn at English Meadows, in Kennebunk’s Lower Village neighborhood was built by a local farmer circa 1860.
The buyer of an inn in Kennebunk’s Lower Village neighborhood brings previous experience from properties she’s owned in Portland, East Boothbay and York Beach.
Diane Pace, with her brother Jack Pace and Jack’s wife Jane, bought the Inn at English Meadows, at 141 Port Road, from Elizabeth Arruda for an undisclosed price.
Dana Moos and Diane Pace of Swan Agency brokered the transaction.
“It’s a stunning historic farmhouse that’s been very well-maintained,” said Pace.
The inn is a former Greek Revival style home built by local farmer Asa English circa 1860, according to the inn’s website. The home was one of the first in the area to incorporate indoor plumbing.
The English family began a dairy business after the Civil War, keeping the cattle in the attached barn and renting rooms in the main house. Later, the barn became a carriage house, which was eventually divided into seven guest rooms.
The hayloft inside the old barn became the second floor of the inn and the uppermost part was converted into a large suite that spans the entire third level and is now called the Carriage House Suite.
The tack room, which had been added at the back of the carriage house to store the saddles, bridles and other equipment for the English family horses, is now a suite with a gas fireplace, private entrance, modern bathroom and bedroom surrounded by three walls of windows.
Repurposed original pine floorboards can be found throughout the inn.
In the 1950s, a two-bedroom cottage was added in the rear meadow.
Amenities include Vera Wang beds, an EV charging station and fireplaces in some rooms.
Arruda bought the inn in 2018, after it was listed in 2017 in the mid-$2 million range.
Before innkeeping, Diane Pace had a career in corporate marketing. Looking to buy into the Maine hospitality lifestyle, she was the owner of the Lighthouse Inn in York Beach, followed by the West End Inn, in Portland's West End neighborhood, which she bought in 2019 shortly after selling the Lighthouse Inn. She sold the West End in 2021 in an off-market transaction. In 2021, Pace was part of a group of investors to buy Smuggler’s Cove Inn, at 727 Ocean Point Road in East Boothbay, for $2 million in an off-market deal.
All three properties involved updates and rebrands.
After significant upgrades to Smuggler’s Cove Inn, Pace sold her shares to focus on her hospitality real estate practice at Swan Agency with Dana Moos. (The remaining partners sold the inn last year.)
Last spring, she and Moos got a call from the seller of the Inn at English Meadows.
“I walked in with Dana and I was floored: ‘This property is just gorgeous,’” Pace said. “It was in such spectacular condition.”
Pace said she was attracted to the inn’s size and location, on almost 1.5 acres of open land and one-third of a mile to Kennebunkport’s Dock Square, the waterfront and the downtown.
Courtesy / The Inn at English Meadows
The location — a short walk to to Kennebunkport’s Dock Square, the waterfront and the downtown — was an attraction for the buyers
“It was doing a nice business, but still had a lot of upside, given the size and location of the property,” she said. “So I thought, ‘There’s real opportunity here.’”
Once listed by Moos, it remained a confidential listing for some time at the seller’s request, and eventually Pace made an offer.
She recruited Jack and Jane Pace, who had helped with management of Pace’s Lighthouse Inn property.
What's next
Goals for the Inn at English Meadow include building a “contemporary coastal vibe” while also maintaining the inn’s historic charm.
The property consists of a main building attached to what was once a carriage house, along with a seasonal two-bedroom bungalow at the rear of the property.
The main building and carriage house each have guest lounges with fireplaces.
The partners’ first project was a complete revamp of the larger lounge.
Updates included removing heavy rugs that covered the room’s wide-plank flooring and replacing the furniture. “We basically got rid of everything in that room,” she said. Modern furniture was installed, including blue velvet chairs and a light gray loveseat from Portland retailer West Elm, and sleeker shelving unit from Pottery Barn.
Courtesy / The Inn at English Meadows
Initial projects included a revamped lounge, with modern furniture and removal of heavy rugs to reveal the wood floors.
Installations included two automated wine bars, one for red and one for white. Similar to a vending machine, they allow guests to buy wine using a card associated with their room. Pressing one button offers a taste of their selection; two other buttons gives them a half-glass or a full-glass pour.
Courtesy / The Inn at English Meadows
Two wine bars are unusual features that allow guests to get pours of various sizes.
The partners are looking to get approval from the town to revamp the backyard.
“It’s a great venue for small, intimate weddings, family gatherings or corporate retreats,” she said.
Pace, who lives in Ogunquit, is handling day-to-day management along with a live-in innkeeper and several staff members who stayed on. The property has been year-round and will remain so.
To date, the partners have invested about $40,000 in updates. Financing for the purchase came through Kennebunk Saving Bank and the U.S. Small Business Administration, which provides loans advantageous to borrowers for certain commercial purposes in combination with a regular bank loan.
The partners self-financed the initial $40,000 of renovation.
This spring, the plan is to start working on the backyard with installations of walkways, lighting, fire pits and an outdoor barrel sauna.
Earlier this month, the partners launched a new website designed to reflect the inn’s aesthetic and also point guests to local attractions, said Pace.
“We’d like to continue to see the flow of really wonderful repeat guests come back time and again,” she said. “In the short few months since we’ve taken ownership, we have met so many lovely guests — people who have been coming here for years.”
She added, “And of course we hope the updates and added amenities with reach a broader audience of travelers who want to stay and play in this beautiful southern coastal town.”
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