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Hampton Inn managers cut the ribbon on the newly refurbished hotel in Lenox on Wednesday.
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The new approach to the hotel; the sidewalks and parking lot will be redone this summer.
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Lenox's Hampton Inn Refurbishes Rooms for Better Guest Stay

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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The refurbishment means the addition of six more rooms to the hotel. 

LENOX, Mass. — The Hampton Inn and Suites Berkshires-Lenox was recently updated to create a much more appealing look and better guest amenities.

On Wednesday, the hotel held a ribbon cutting, inviting the business and community leaders to see some of the new refurbishments.

"It's very inspiring. Some of the things that I've heard is that many of us, if not the majority, have not ever walked through these doors. It's kind of our first time here, and once you walk in, you see how precious this is," said Sara Goodberlet, executive director for the Lenox Chamber of commerce. "It's another beautiful offering for all the visitors that come through our area. It's tucked away, and with their new remodeling and their offerings, it's a perfect addition to our local businesses."

The $4.9 million refresh includes new furniture and updated bathrooms in all of the rooms, new equipment in the gym, new furniture and redesign in the common area, a new design in the breakfast area, the appearance of the inside and outside of the hotel, and more.

"Over the past few months, we've thoroughly renovated our space with one wall in mind, creating a more comfortable, moderate, and welcoming experience for all guests to come to Berkshire County. We are incredibly proud of our transformation from the refreshed guest rooms to the updating common areas," said General Manager Steve Curley.

"Everything still reflects our commitment to quality hospitality and the charming spirit of the Berkshires. This milestone could be possible without the hard work of our team here."

Curley said the renovations took a couple of months and the pool was the only exception to the refurbishments as it was in great condition. He said Hampton hotels do refurbishments to keep up with the brand and look newer and nicer for the guests.

The hotel opened in 2008 and went through a complete remodel in 2015, part of a refurbishment of the global chain. This latest refresh is also an update of the brand Hampton by Hilton, which has 3,000 properties worldwide. The new "visual identity" was rolled out beginning in 2024.  

General Manager Laura Rummel said the hotel is basically brand new with the inside looking more inviting.

"It's a brand-new hotel when you look at it from October till now, completely different feel in the hotel," she said. "It's definitely a lighter, more airy, open feeling when you come into a hotel now, whereas before it was everything was very dark white, so it felt more enclosed, but I feel like they did a really great job with the renovations and opening things up and trying to tie some of the local features in."

The hotel also added photos of local areas to the decor.

The refurbishment is largely finished and at completion, it will have 85 rooms, a growth from 79; exterior improvement to the sidewalks and parking lot will be done in the next few months.

The hotel also remodeled rooms to make extended stays even better for guests. The hotel is one of few that allows an extended stay with no limit. To help guests they added a kitchenette and stove top so that guests won't have to eat out as much and can make their own meals if they want to.

"Today represents a new beginning for our hotel, and we are grateful for the support of the community. Thank you, Chamber of Commerce. Thank you so much for your support. We look forward to welcome guests creating memorable experiences for years to come," said Director of Sales Onicia Mends.

The hotel is located at 445 Pittsfield Road and allows pets.

 

Tags: motels, hotels,   renovation,   ribbon cutting,   

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Lanesborough Planners Bring STR, ADU, Signage Bylaws for Town Vote

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Planning Board held a public comment on the much anticipated bylaws for short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units, and signage to be presented at the annual town meeting.

For the past few months, planners have diligently been working on wordage of the new bylaws after Second Drop Farm's short-term rental was given a cease and desist because the building inspector said town bylaws don't support them.

The draft bylaw can be found on the website.

The board voted on each of the four articles and had public comment before moving to entertain any amendments brought forward.

A lot of discussion in the STR section was around parking. Currently the drafted bylaw for parking states short-term rentals require two parking spaces, and with three or more bedrooms, require three spaces but never more than five.

There were questions about the reasons for limiting parking and how they will regulate parking renters choose to park on the lawn or the street. Planners said it is not their call, that is up to the property owner and if it is a public street that would be up to the authorities.

Some attendees called for tighter regulation to make sure neighborhoods are protected from overflow.

Lynn Terry said she lives next to one of the rented houses on Narragansett Avenue and does not feel safe with all of the cars that are parked there. She said there can be up to 10 at a time on the narrow road, and that some people have asked to use her driveway to park. She thinks limiting to five cars based on the house, is very important.

The wordage was amended to say a parking space for each bedroom of the house.

Rich Cohen brought up how his own STR at the Old Stone School helps bring in money and helps to preserve the historic landmark. He told the board he liked what they did and wants to see it pass at town meeting, knowing it might be revised later on.

He said the bylaws now should not be a "one size fits all" but may need to be adjusted to help protect neighborhoods and also preserve places like his.

After asking the audience of fewer than 20 people, the board decided to amend the amount of time an short-term rental can be reserved to 180 days total a year in a residential zone, and 365 days a year in every other zone. This was in the hopes the bylaw will be passed and help to deter companies from buying up properties to run STRs as well as protecting the neighborhood character and stability.

They also capped the stay limit of a guest to 31 days.

Cohen also asked them to add "if applicable" to the Certificate of Inspection rule as the state's rules might change and it can help stop confusion if they have incorrect requirement that the state doesn't need.

The ADU portion did not have much public comment but there were some minor amendments because of notes from KP Law, the town counsel.

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