New Owner 'Fell in Love' With Springs Motel
Brian Duke picked up the keys to the 65-year-old motel earlier this year.
"We kind of instantly fell in love with the place," said Brian Duke, when he and his family went to visit the property.
When he saw it was up for sale, he went to work and closed the deal earlier this year. He purchased the property for $1,575,000 as Springs Hospitality New Ashford LLC, according to documents in the Registry of Deeds.
The "vibe" comes from renovations made by designer Lindsey Kurowski who reopened the motel in 2022. The reality TV star featured the renovation of the long-closed motor court on Magnolia Channel's "Inn The Works."
Kurowski revamped 17 rooms and four cabins in mid-century design, echoing when the original motel opened.
"It had been closed for the season so there's been a process of just getting the place back up and running, you know, cleaning and preparing rooms that have been winterized for the season," Duke said.
The 8.5-acre property has another 13-unit building that Duke hopes to open after renovations in the future.
"We'd love to add 13 more rooms. We've gotten a lot of interest in group events this summer," he said.
Duke has more than 20 years experience in the hospitality business, owning other motels and short-term rentals in addition to working a corporate job.
"I sort of drove by old ma-and-pap motels like this and kind of wondered 'how does that work? is that a good business?' like really uncertain," he said. "Then quickly found out that if they are ran well, it's very rewarding both personally and financially. Since then, we've purchased a few more Airbnbs, another motel."
Those are located in Pennsylvania, where he is from, but Duke said he was always looking here in New England. He decided to jump fully into this type of work.
"The business in Pennsylvania was really taking off and I'd always wanted to be an entrepreneur and so I started very seriously thinking if I should leave my corporate job and try this," Duke said.
He's bought a storied property with roots going back to 1930, when Henrietta Grosso opened a sandwich and burger stand at the side of the road. It would grow into a four-star 250-seat restaurant, and the development of an 18-room motel and pool across the highway in 1960. Another 22 units were added in the 1970s.
The Springs complex stayed in the family for 68 years but went then through several owners around the turn of the century. Both the restaurant and the motor court, by then an America's Best Value Inn, closed around 2002.
Kurowski, a Cheshire native, saved the motel when she bought it in 2021 and brought back the '60s atmosphere with a modern twist.
Duke said he's building a team, taking customer reviews into consideration, and planning to open year-round.
"We've really spent some time going through the reviews over the last few years and trying to to focus on everything that people liked and fix some of the things that people liked less," he said. "We have staff onsite more frequently, completely keeping the same vibe and aesthetic, we're putting our own touches on things for sure, little things here and there, with the expectation of eventually renovating the currently unoccupied building."
Duke said he hopes to be able to accommodate small events and show what the Springs Motel has to offer.
"There's a lot of cool stuff up here and again it's just a unique set up. It's a unique design in a really quiet and cool place," he said. "I'm a guy who left his corporate job to do a small business. I and my family love to travel and I just want to make sure other folks have a great experiences as well."
To learn more about the Springs Motel, visit the website here.
Tags: new business, motels, hotels,
