The property had fallen into significant disrepair. The renovation cost was over $3 million, including $500,000 invested in safety and infrastructure improvements in coordination with the city.
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A Clarion Hotel & Conference Center is opening at 490 Pleasant St. in Lewiston after an extensive renovation of the property, which was formerly a Ramada Inn & Conference Center.
It is now part of the Choice Hotels portfolio.
The renovation cost was over $3 million. That included more than $500,000 invested in safety and infrastructure improvements in coordination with the city.
Updates were made to guest rooms, lobby, restaurant, fitness center, sauna, business center, boardrooms, ballroom and theater. Work included exterior painting, repairs to plumbing and electrical systems, restoration of the pool and new furniture. The property, which dates from 1974, has 117 guest rooms.
A grand reopening is scheduled for June 18.
Fallen into disrepair
Ohio-based Emerald Hospitality LLC bought the property four years ago. In 2025, New York-based KS Hospitality Group and Oregon-based Sapphire Hospitality bought shares in the property.
“At the time, the property was closed and had fallen into significant disrepair,” a KS spokesperson told Mainebiz in an email interview. “It had developed a negative reputation within the community after years of underuse and neglect.”
KS Hospitality Group led the redevelopment and will oversee the property’s operations.
“Before any design decisions were made, we focused on the property’s foundation,” said Kanvar Singh, KS’s founder.
KS is a hotel ownership and management platform focused on acquiring and repositioning underperforming hotel assets in secondary and emerging markets.
This is KS’s first property in Maine.
Overall, KS owns and operates 16 hospitality properties, including hotels, restaurants, rooftop venues and experiential destinations, with properties across New York City, the Hamptons and emerging regional markets.
Local hiring
Singh said he’s prioritizing local hiring and expanding operations through 2026. The reopening is expected to generate a significant number of new roles in hospitality, food and beverage, operations and event staffing.
Uses are expected to include conferences, weddings, corporate retreats and tourists. The restaurant, Maine Grill, is expected to attract locals, too. The restaurant’s theme is “elevated pub fare” with an emphasis on local ingredients, led by Joe McBrady, director of food and beverage.
Singh said he viewed the property as “a unique opportunity in Lewiston.”
The ownership and redevelopment group includes Sapna Dhariwal of Emerald Hospitality and Sunita Sadhnani of New York-based Glamour Events, both with experience in weddings, conferences and corporate gatherings.
The redevelopment reflects the ownership group’s confidence in Lewiston as “a strong economic opportunity due to its growing regional importance and need for renewed hospitality investment,” the spokesperson said. “The ownership group saw the potential to transform an underperforming asset into a destination that attracts visitors, conferences, weddings and corporate events, bringing new tourism dollars into the area.”
